{{short description|Artisan god in Vedic Hinduism}} {{for|the volcanic region on Io|Tvashtar Paterae}} {{Infobox deity | type = Hindu | deity_of = The Heavenly Builder <br> The Maker of Divine Implements <br> Lord of the Womb | texts = ''Purusha Sukta'', ''Mahabharata'', ''Puranas'' | planet = | parents = Kasyapa and Aditi {{small|(according to the epics and ''Puranas'')}} | consort = Rechana | children = Children including Saranyu, Visvarupa and Vritra | affiliation = Deva | greek_equivalent = Hephaistos | roman_equivalent = Vulcanus | norse_equivalent = Völund | slavic_equivalent = Svarog | weapon = Metal Axe | image = | caption = }}{{Hinduism small}} '''Tvashtr''' ({{langx|sa|त्वष्टृ}}, {{IAST3|Tvaṣṭṛ}}) or '''Tvashta''' ({{langx|sa|त्वष्टा}}, {{IAST3|Tvaṣṭā}}) is a Vedic Hindu artisan god or fashioner. He is mentioned as an Aditya (sons of goddess Aditi) in later Hindu scriptures like the ''Mahabharata'' and ''Puranas'', though his significance gets reduced. Tvashtr is sometimes identified with another artisan deity named Vishvakarma.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Dalal|first=Roshen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UCEoAwAAQBAJ&q=vishvakarma+tvashtr&pg=PT351|title=The Vedas: An Introduction to Hinduism's Sacred Texts|date=2014-04-15|publisher=Penguin UK|isbn=978-81-8475-763-7|language=en}}</ref>
==In Vedic literature== In the ''Rigveda'', Tvashtr is stated to be a skillful craftsman who created many implements, including Indra's bolt, the axe of Brihaspati, and a cup for divine food and drink. He is stated to be the creator of forms, and is often stated to be the crafter of living beings and wombs. He is also considered a universal father, and an ancestor of humans through his daughter Saranyu.<ref name="md" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last1=De Witt Griswold|first1=Harvey|title=The Religion of the Rigveda|last2=Farquhar|first2=J. N.|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1923|pages=276}}</ref> He is the father of Bṛhaspati, and likely Indra's father as well.<ref name="md">{{cite book|last=Macdonell|first=Arthur Anthony|title=Vedic Mythology|work=Encyclopedia of Indo-Aryan Research|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1897|isbn=|editor-last=Bühler|editor-first=G.|pages=[https://archive.org/details/vedicmythology00macd/page/116 116–118]|chapter=Abstract Gods|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/vedicmythology00macd/page/116}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> He wields a metal axe,<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Jamison|first1=Stephanie|title=The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of India|last2=Brereton|first2=Joel|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2014|isbn=9780199370184 |pages=1090}}</ref><ref name="md" /> and rides a chariot pulled by two fallow bay mares.<ref name="md" />{{Sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|p=837}}
He is the guardian of Soma, and his son Vishvarupa is the guardian of cows. Indra has a conflict with his likely father Tvashtr, with him stealing Tvashtr's soma and trying to possess Vishvarupa’s cattle. Indra is consistently victorious in the conflict, and Tvashtr is stated to fear Indra. In the Taittiriya Samhita and Brahmanas, Vishvarupa is killed by Indra, and so Tvashtr does not allow Indra to attend his Soma sacrifice. Indra however, steals and drinks the soma through his strength.<ref name="md" /><ref name=":0">{{cite book|author=Stephanie Jamison|url=|title=The Rigveda –– Earliest Religious Poetry of India|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2015|isbn=978-0190633394|page=51}}</ref> In order to have revenge for the murder of his son Vishvarupa, Tvashtr creates a demon called Vritra. However, when wishing him into existence, Tvashtr makes a mispronunciation in his incantation, which allows Indra to defeat Vritra.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Jamison|first1=S. W.|last2=Witzel|first2=M.|date=1992|title=Vedic Hinduism|url=http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~witzel/vedica.pdf}}</ref> In the Mānava Purana, he took rebirth as Arjuna's son, Babhruvahana.
Tvashtr is associated with many other deities, Pushan, Savitr, Dhatr, Prajapati, and Vishvakarman, due to his role as a fashioner.<ref name="md" />
He is mentioned in the RigVeda 1.61.6 as follows:
{{Verse transliteration-translation|अस्मा इदु त्वष्टा तक्षद्वज्रं स्वपस्तमं स्वर्यं रणाय ।<br>वृत्रस्य चिद्विदद्येन मर्म तुजन्नीशानस्तुजता कियेधाः ॥|asmā idu tvaṣṭā takṣadvajraṃ svapastamaṃ svaryaṃ raṇāya.<br>vṛtrasya cidvidadyena marma tujannīśānastujatā kiyedhāḥ.|Even for him hath Tvastar forged the thunder, most deftly wrought, celestial, for the battle,<br>Wherewith he reached the vital parts of Vrtra, striking-the vast, the mighty with the striker.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Hymns of the Rigveda/Book 1/Hymn 61 - Wikisource, the free online library |url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Hymns_of_the_Rigveda/Book_1/Hymn_61 |access-date=2026-03-15 |website=en.wikisource.org |language=en}}</ref>|lang=sa|originalHeading=Devanagari|translationHeading=English|transliterationHeading=IAST}}
==See also== * Tuisto
==Citations== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20110202142432/http://viswakarmas.com/ www.viswakarmas.com]
Category:Hindu gods Category:Rigvedic deities Category:Adityas Category:Smithing gods
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