By Victor M Fontane
The vajra is the most important ritual implement of Vajrayana Buddhism. In Sanskrit, the word vajra is defined as something hard or mighty, as in a diamond. It symbolizes an impenetrable, immovable and indestructible state of knowledge and enlightenment.
The earliest mention of the vajra is in the Rigveda, part of the four Vedas. It is described as the weapon of Indra, the chief among the devas. Indra is described as using the vajra to kill sinners and ignorant persons. The Rigveda states that the weapon was made for Indra by Tvastar, the maker of divine instruments.
According the Hindu Puranas, the evil Asuras (demons), Namuchi and Vritra removed all of the light and moisture from the earth. It made the land inhospitable to living beings. Indra battled the demon gods unsuccessfully and as a last resort called upon their supreme god Vishnu for help.
A weapon of the gods
Vishnu informed him that only a weapon that was neither solid nor liquid could kill Namuchi and Vritra. Vishnu had the divine carpenter Tvashta fashion Indra a marvelous weapon he could use to vanquish the dreadful Asuras. This new weapon, the vajra, emitted thunderbolts. With it, Indra annihilated Namuchi and Vritra and returned the much needed light and moisture back to the earth. The Rigveda describes this conflict thus.
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