One-line: enemy of Indra whose death exposes how messy divine victory can be.
First appears: Book 6, in Book 6 retelling.
Who they are: Vritra is created as revenge against Indra. He is a demon, but Book 6 makes his killing morally uncomfortable because Indra relies on loopholes and divine strategy. Vritra’s death does not leave Indra triumphant; it leaves Indra contaminated by karma.
What they do that matters:
- Fights Indra after the killing of Trishira.
- Trusts a treaty with conditions about how he cannot be killed.
- Dies through the foam-and-discus loophole empowered by the Goddess.
Other names: Vritrasura
Family / lineage (when relevant): Not central for first-time reading.