Trishiras (), also referred to as Vishvarupa, was the three-headed son of the craftsman god Tvashta. He was killed by Indra, the king of the devas. To avenge his death, Tvashta later created the demon Vritra.
In Hindu Scriptures
Vedic
In the
Rigveda, Vishvarupa is the son of the god
Tvashta and the guardian of cows.
He is an enemy of
Indra, the king of the gods, who comes into conflict with him. Indra is victorious in the conflict and Aptya (an ally of Indra) kills Vishvarupa, who is then beheaded by Indra.
Another verse states that Indra stole Vishvarupa's cattle and released them.
The
Brihaddevata narrates that Vishvarupa is the son of Tvashta and his asura wife, and the twin of
Saranyu.
He is sent by the demons to become the priest of the devas, desiring to destroy them. Indra suspected his intentions and beheaded him. His three heads turn into three different birds.
Furious by the demise of his son, Tvashtr creates a demon called
Vritra to avenge his death.
Epic and Puranic
According to the
Udyoga Parva of the epic
Mahabharata and the
Devi Bhagavata Purana, Tvashta had a conflict with Indra and wanted to dethrone him. With his wife Virocana (or Rechana), who was the daughter of
Prahlada and belonged to
Asura race, Tvashta had Trishiras, who was born with three heads. His three heads were each named
Somapītha,
Surāpītha, and
Annāda as each head consumed Soma, Sura, and food, respectively. It is also told that one head was responsible for drinking; with another head, he observed his surroundings; and with his last head, he read the
Vedas. Trishiras grew powerful and performed penance to become more powerful. Indra became frightened of him, and sent
Apsaras (nymphs) to seduce him and break his penance. However, Trisharas was unaffected and Indra went to him and killed him using his thunderbolt. He was concerned about the possibility of Trishiras reviving, so he sent a carpenter to cut off each of his heads. From the head that chanted Vedic mantras rose the
Grey francolin birds; from the head used for drinking soma rose the
Francolin birds and from the third head rose the
Francolinus birds. Tvashta performed a yajna, from which Vritra emerged to avenge Trishiras's death.
The Shanti Parva of the Mahabharata, Bhagavata Purana, Brahmavaivarta Purana narrates a different myth about Vishvarupa and portray him as a guru or priest of Indra.
These texts state that Indra sinned Brahmanahatya (murder of a Brahman) for killing Trishiras, who was both a Brahmana and his guru.
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