Iranic mitra

Source: TW

A kuShANa coin showing mithra with a mace: the mace was called a gadha in the Iranic tradition but explicitly equated with the vajra in the case of mithra in the famous manthra with a counter-religious overlay (see below) from long incantation to him in the Zoroastrian branch of the Iranic tradition:

hishtaite aom vâshahe mithrahe vouru-gaoyaoitôish
On a side of the vehicle of mithra, the lord of wide cow-fields,

vazrem srîrem hunivixtem sataf-shtânem satô-dârem
stands an auspicious well-striking vajra with a hundred knots, a hundred edges,

fravaêkhem vîrô-nyåñcim zarôish ayanghô frahixtem
that rushes felling heroes; cast out of red metal,

amavatô zaranyehe amavastemem zayanãm
of strong, golden metal; the strongest of all missiles,

verethra-vastemem zayanãm, mainyavaså vazeñti
the foremost of the verethra-smashing weapons missiles; travels through the heaven,

mainyavaså pateñti kameredhe paiti daêvanãm. it falls through heavenly space upon the skulls of the daevas.+++(5)+++

The counter-religious spin in last pada!

While the vajra in the shruti is the weapon of indra, the Iranic cognate which is the weapon of mithra has several parallels:

  • it is 100 “knotted” & 100 edged also seen in the shruti: e.g. vajreNa shataparvaNA;
  • it is vR^itra-smashing;

Curiously that metallic connection is seen with mitra & varuNa in the sUkta of shataprabhedana:

avAbharad dhR^iShito vajram AyasaM
shevam mitrAya varuNAya dAshuShe ||
Valiantly, he [indra] bore forth the auspicious metallic vajra for mitra and the holy varuNa;

One may also the see the sun-like weapon of mitra & varuNa described by the atri-s as having parallels to the vajra of mithra in Iranic tradition.

In addition to the vajra in the Iranic tradition mithra is bristling with many other weapons:

  • hazangrem dhanvareitinãm -> 1000 bows
  • hazangrem ishunãm kahrkâsô-parnanãm zaranyô- zafrãm -> 1000 vulture fletched arrows
  • hazangrem arshtinãm brôithrô-taêzhanãm hukeretanãm-> 1000 great sharp well-made spears
  • hazangrem cakushanãm-> 1000 hammers
  • hazangrem karetanãm vayô-dâranãm hukeretanãm-> 1000 doubled-edged well-made swords
  • hazangrem gadhaanãm -> 1000 maces.

The vajra tops this panoply of weapons. Some of these weapons are seen in other kuShANa coins depicting mithra:

  • The 1st looks like an a~NkuSha but could be the avestan hammer. The 2nd likely shows the spear & sword.

Finally, mithra is also accompanied by a varAha known as ‘damoish upmana’. I have not seen that on kuShAna coin but is apparently depicted in this Western Iranian sealing.