Mitra (Mithra or Mithras) God who in different forms was worshipped in India, Persia and then the Roman Empire, and whose cult was the basis of Mithraism. In Vedic mythology, Mitra was the spirit of the day, of the rain and of the sun, linked closely with Varuna. The Persian Mitra was a popular deity of the Achaemenid empire, revered as the god of light and power.

Mitra. Hindu Vedic god, one of the Ādityas, ‘he who awakens people at daybreak and prompts them to work’ (Ṛg Veda 3. 59. 1). Because mitra means ‘friend’, Mitra is usually associated with another god in partnership, especially Varuṇa.