Indra slew the serpent-demon Vritra with his vajra thunderbolt after drinking soma, releasing the cosmic waters that Vritra had imprisoned within the clouds.
After Indra slew his three-headed son Vishvarupa, the grief-stricken Tvashtr cast an oblation into the sacrificial fire and brought forth the monstrous serpent Vritra, fashioned as an instrument of vengeance against the king of the gods.
The Asura race counts among its ranks the mightiest adversaries of the gods — Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha, the invulnerable Daitya brothers who seized heaven and earth; Bali, the generous king who conquered Indra's realm; Vritra, the drought-serpent who swallowed the cosmic waters; and Mahishasura, the shape-shifting buffalo demon who drove the Devas from their thrones.
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