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Tvashtr (, ) or Tvashta (, ) is a Vedic Hindu artisan god or fashioner. He is mentioned as an Adityas (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.
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 Brahmana, 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. 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. In the Mānava Purana, he took rebirth as Arjuna's son, Babhruvahana.
Tvashtr is associated with many other deities, Pushan, Savitr, Dhatri, Prajapati, and Vishvakarman, due to his role as a fashioner.
Tvashta Dev mentioned in the RigVed 1.61.6 as below:
अस्मा इदु त्वष्टा तक्षद्वज्रं स्वपस्तमं स्वर्यं रणाय । वृत्रस्य चिद्विदद्येन मर्म तुजन्नीशानस्तुजता कियेधाः
Translation: Tvashtadeva prepared for Indra a powerful thunderbolt that penetrates the target well. With that thunderbolt, Indradev, the mighty destroyer of enemies, struck Vritra and killed him with it
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