Tvashthri, literally the shaper, was the son of Kasiyapa and Aditi. Alain Danielou called him the personification of one of the six minor principles of Vedic culture: craftsmanship. The hymns in the Rigveda made him function something like later concepts such as sakti (divine energy) and life force (prana), except that Tvashthri was the very divine craftsman at work in the womb, forming the offÂspring of all species, determining their beauty and strength. By the time of the Brahmanas Tvashthri had become the agent in crafting into being whatever was manifested. He made Indra’s mighty thunderbolt (vajra) from the bone of the sage Dadhici. However, his son Visivarupa was a rival of Indra, and some accounts said that Indra killed him.
Some versions maintained that there were two different Tvashthris: one the divine craftsman and another an aditya (celestial god).
