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Indra · Hinduism

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Indra (Sanskrit: इ or इं Indra,Sinhala: Sakra, Indra

Telugu: ఇంద , Tamil: இ திர , Thai: พระอินทร
Phra In, Japanese: 帝釈天 Taishakuten) is the King
of the gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or
Svargaloka in Vedic Hinduism, and also he is the
God of War, Storms, and Rainfall. Mentioned first as
a god of war and warriors (Kshatriya) in the sacred
Hindu text of Rig Veda, he subsequently became the
chief deity. Indra is bestowed with a heroic and
almost brash and amorous character. He has always
remained significant in Indian mythology, from
Vedic to Puranic times, even as his reputation and
role diminished in later Hinduism with the rise of the
Trimurti. However he is still active in the Pali canon,
where he is addressed as Sakka (from Sanskrit
Śakra).[1] In Iran, Indra became a arch-demon in the God of Weather and War, King of the Gods
Zoroastrian religion.
Devanagari इ or इं

Contents Tamil script இ திர

Affiliation Deva
 1 Origins
 2 In the Rig Veda Abode Amarāvati in Svarga
 2.1 Status and function Weapon Vajra
 2.2 Characteristics
 2.3 "Indradhanush", the bow of Indra: Consort Sachi/Indrāṇi
Rainbow Mount Airavata
 2.4 Relations with other gods
 2.4.1 Indra and Vṛtrá
 2.4.2 Gautama's curse
 2.4.3 Indra and the Ants

 3 The 14 Indras
 4 In Buddhism, Jainism, and Taoism
 5 See also
 6 References
 7 External links

Origins
Indra is attested as a god of the Mitanni. If Devendra (Indra) as a deity is cognate to other Indo-
European gods, either thunder gods such as Thor, Perun, and Zeus, and heroic gods such as Mars, and
gods of intoxicating drinks such as Dionysos, his name has either not been preserved in any other
branch, or else it is itself an Indian (or perhaps Indo-Iranian) innovation. Janda (1998:221) suggests that

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the Proto-Indo-European (or Graeco-Aryan) predecessor of Indra had the epitheta *trigw-welumos
"smasher of the enclosure" (of Vritra, Vala) and diye-snūtyos "impeller of streams" (the liberated rivers,
corresponding to Vedic apam ajas "agitator of the waters"), which resulted in the Greek gods
Triptolemos and Dionysos.

In the religious practices of the foundation of Hinduism, q.e. Vedic civilization, Indra has prominence
over the continuation of chief god of the Indo-European pantheon Dyēus (Dyēus appears in the Vedas as
Dyaus Pita, a relatively minor deity who, interestingly, is the father of Indra). Compare to this the
relatively low status of Tyr compared to Odin or Thor in Norse paganism.

It was once supposed that Vedic Indra corresponds to Verethragna of the Zoroastrian Avesta. This idea
was based primarily on the fact that the noun verethragna- corresponds to Vedic vrtrahan-, which is
predominantly an epithet of Indra. The supposition that Indra corresponds to Verethragna is now
controversial. While both vritra- and verethra- derive from the same root "to cover", the word verethra-
is today understood to mean "obstacle". Thus, verethragna- is now understood to reflect "smiter of
resistance". Vritra does not appear in either the Avesta or in 9th-12th century books of Zoroastrian
tradition. Since the name 'Indra' appears in Zoroastrian texts as that of an arch-demon opposing Truth
(Vd. 10.9; Dk. 9.3; Gbd. 27.6, 34.27), it may be supposed that Verethragna was a way of reintroducing
him in a favourable light.

In the Rig Veda

The Rig-Veda states,

He under whose supreme control are horses, all chariots, the villages, and cattle;
He who gave being to the Sun and Morning, who leads the waters, He, O men, is Indra. (2.12.7, trans.
Griffith)

It further states,

“Indra, you lifted up the outcast who was oppressed, you glorified the blind and the lame.” (Rg-Veda
2:13:12) [2]

Indra is, with Varuna and Mitra, one of the Ādityas, the chief gods of the Rigveda (besides Agni and the
Ashvins). He delights in drinking Soma, and the central Vedic myth is his heroic defeat of Vṛtrá,
liberating the rivers, or alternatively, his smashing of the Vala, a stone enclosure where the Panis had
imprisoned the cows, and Ushas (dawn). He is the god of war, smashing the stone fortresses of the
Dasyu, and invoked by combatants on both sides in the Battle of the Ten Kings.

The Rig-Veda frequently refers to him as Śakra: the mighty-one. In

the Vedic period, the number of gods was assumed to be thirty-three
and Indra was their lord. (The slightly later Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad enumerates the gods as the eight
Vasus, the eleven Rudras, the twelve Adityas, Indra, and Prajapati). As lord of the Vasus, Indra was also
referred to as Vāsava.

By the age of the Vedanta, Indra became the prototype for all lords and thus a king could be called
Mānavendra (Indra or lord of men) and Rama, the hero of the Ramayana, was referred to as
Rāghavendra (Indra of the clan of Raghu). Hence the original Indra was also referred to as Devendra
(Indra of the Devas). However, Sakra and Vasava were used exclusively for the original Indra. Though
modern texts usually adhere to the name Indra, the traditional Hindu texts (the Vedas, epics and
Puranas) use Indra, Sakra and Vasava interchangeably and with the same frequency.

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"Of the Vedas I am the Sama Veda; of the demigods I am Indra, the
king of heaven; of the senses I am the mind; and in living beings I am
the living force [consciousness]." (Bhagavad Gita 10.22) [1]

Status and function

Indra is an important god in many post-Vedic and Hindu mythological

tales. He leads the Devas (the gods who form and maintain Heaven)
and the elements, such as Agni (Fire), Varuna (Water) and Surya
(Sun), and constantly wages war against the demonic Asuras of the
netherworlds, or Patala, who oppose morality and dharma. He thus
fights in the timeless battle between good and evil. As the god of war,
he is also regarded as one of the Guardians of the directions,
representing the east. He is however, not a perfect being, and is
ascribed with more human characteristics and vices than any other
Vedic deity. Perhaps consequently, he also has the most hymns
dedicated to him: 250 (Masson-Oursel and Morin, 326). Indra as depicted in
Yakshagana, popular folk art
Modern Hindus, however tend to see Indra as minor deity in of Karnataka
comparison to others in the Hindu pantheon, such as Shiva, Vishnu, or
Devi. A Puranic story illustrating the subjugation of Indra's pride is illustrated in the story of Govardhan
hill where Krishna, avatar or incarnation of Vishnu carried the hill and protected his devotees when
Indra, angered by non-worship of him, launched rains over the village.

Characteristics

In Rig Veda, Indra the solar god is sometimes described as golden-

bodied ("Gora" that means golden-yellowish) with golden jaw, nails,
hair, beard.

One Atharva Vedic verse reads, "In Indra are set fast all forms of
golden hue."[3]

In the Rig Veda, hymn 65 reads, "SAKRA, who is the purifier (of his
worshippers), and well-skilled in horses, who is wonderful and golden-
bodied."[4]

The Rig Veda reads that Indra "is the dancing god who, clothed in
perfumed garments, golden- cheeked rides his golden car."[5]

"At the swift draught the Soma-drinker waxed in might, the Iron One
with yellow beard and yellow hair." The Rig Veda/Mandala 10/Hymn
96 Detail of the Phra Prang, the
central tower of the Wat Arun
"Like violent gusts of wind the draughts that I have drunk have lifted ("Temple of Dawn") in
me Have I not drunk of Soma juice?"[6] Bangkok, Thailand - showing
Indra on his three-headed
"Fair cheeks hath Indra, Maghavan, the Victor, Lord of a great host, elephant Erawan (Airavata).
Stormer, strong in action. What once thou didst in might when mortals

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vexed thee, where now, O Bull, are those thy hero exploits?" (RigVeda, Book 3, Hymn XXX: Griffith)[7]

"May the strong Heaven make thee the Strong wax stronger: Strong, for thou art borne by thy two
strong Bay Horses. So, fair of cheek, with mighty chariot, mighty, uphold us, strong-willed,
thunderarmed, in battle." (RigVeda, Book 5, Hymn XXXVI: Grffith)[8]

Indra's weapon, which he used to kill Vritra, (with the help of other gods), is the thunderbolt (Vajra),
though he also uses a bow, a net, and a hook. He rides a large, four-tusked white elephant called
Airavata. When portrayed having four arms, he has lances in two of his hands which resemble elephant
goads. When he is shown to have two, he holds the Vajra and a bow.[9]

Indra lives in Svarga in the clouds around Mt. Meru. Deceased warriors go to his hall after death, where
they live without sadness, pain or fear. They watch the Apsaras and the Gandharvas dance, and play
games. The gods of the elements, celestial sages, great kings, and warriors enrich his court.

"Indradhanush", the bow of Indra: Rainbow

In Hindu mythology, the rainbow is called "Indradhanush", meaning the bow (Sanskrit & Hindi:
dhanush is bow) of Indra, the God of lightning, thunder and rain.

Relations with other gods

He is married to Indrani (whose father, Puloman, Indra killed), and is the father of Arjuna (by Kunti),
Jayanta, Midhusa, Nilambara, Khamla, Rbhus, Rsabha. Indra brother to Surya. He is attended to by the
Maruts (and the Vasus), children of Diti (mother of demons), and Rudra. Indra had slayed Diti's
previous wicked children, so she hoped her son would be more powerful than him and kept herself
pregnant for a century, practicing magic to aid her fetal son. When Indra discovered this, he threw a
thunderbolt at her and shattered the fetus into 7 or 49 parts; each part regenerated into a complete
individual, and the parts grew into the Maruts, a group of storm gods, who are less powerful than Indra.

Indra and Vṛtrá

Vṛtrá, an asura, stole all the water in the world and Indra drank much Soma to prepare himself for the
battle with the huge serpent. He passed through Vṛtrá's ninety-nine fortresses, slew the monster and
brought water back to Earth.

In a later version of the story, Vṛtrá was created by Tvashtri to get revenge for Indra's murder of his son,
Trisiras, a pious Brahmin whose increase of power worried Indra. Vṛtrá won the battle and swallowed
Indra, but the other gods forced him to vomit Indra out. The battle continued and Indra fled. Vishnu and
the Rishis brokered a truce, and Indra swore he would not attack Vṛtrá with anything made of metal,
wood, or stone, nor anything that was dry or wet, or during the day or the night. Indra used the foam
from the waves of the ocean to kill him at twilight.

In yet another version, recounted in the Mahabharata, Vṛtrá was a Brahmin who got hold of supernatural
powers, went rogue and became a danger to the gods. Indra had to intervene, and slew him after a hard
fight. A horrible goddess named Brāhmanahatya (the personified sin of Brahmin murder) came from the
dead corpse of Vṛtrá and pursued Indra, who hid inside a lotus flower. Indra went to Brahma and begged
forgiveness for having killed a Brahmin. "Vajrayudha" which Indra possessed is believed to be prepared
from backbone of a sage Dadhichi to kill Asuras.

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Gautama's curse

Indra duped Ahalya, the wife of Gautama Maharishi, in the guise of a saint into letting him have sex
with her. He was punished by Gautama with a curse that one thousand vaginas would cover his body in
a grotesque and vulgar display, and that his reign as king of the gods would meet with disaster and
catastrophe.[2] Gautama later commuted the curse, upon the pleading of Brahma, to one thousand eyes
instead. But according to Valmiki Ramayana the thousand eyed Indra was cursed by Gautama to loose
his Testicles(1-48-28). Indra later gets a new pair of testicles from a Ram with the help of Agni.[10]

Due to this sin Indra's throne is supposed to remain insecure forever. He is repeatedly humiliated by
demonic kings like Ravana of Lanka, whose son Indrajit (whose name means victor over Indra) bound
Indra in serpent nooses and dragged him across Lanka in a humiliating display. Indrajit released Indra
when Brahma convinced him to do so in exchange for celestial weapons, but Indra, as the defeated, had
to pay tribute and accept Ravana's supremacy. Indra realized the consequences of his sin, and was later
avenged by the Avatara of Vishnu, Rama, who slew Ravana to deliver the three worlds from evil, as
described in the epic Ramayana.

However, according to the tradition of the temple of Suchindrum, near Nagercoil, in Southern Tamil
Nadu, Indra was promised relief from the curse, if he could manage to worship the Divine Trinity of
Hinduism, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva simultaneously. This he succeeded in doing at Suchindrum,
where the presiding deity is Sthanumalayan, a combined form of Shiva (Sthanu), Vishnu (Mal) and
Brahma (Ayan), and was accordingly granted relief. Tradition maintains that he continues to worship
each night at the temple, on account of which the priests of the temple, on appointment, are made to take
a vow in Tamil "Aham kaṇdathai puram çolla mattān", meaning "I will never reveal anything I see
within". Further, part of their duty is to clean the sanctum sanctorum of the temple and leave it ready for
all rituals at night before closing the temple and clean it again, when they re-open it in the morning.

See also: Rukmangada, Tulsi

Indra and the Ants

In this story from the Brahmavaivarta Purana,[11][12] Indra defeats Vṛtrá and releases the waters.
Elevated to the rank of King of the gods, Indra orders the heavenly craftsman, Vishvakarma, to build
him a grand palace. Full of pride, Indra continues to demand more and more improvements for the
palace. At last, exhausted, Vishvakarma asks Brahma the Creator for help. Brahma in turn appeals to
Vishnu, the Supreme Being.

Vishnu visits Indra's palace in the form of a brahmin boy; Indra welcomes him in. Vishnu praises Indra's
palace, casually adding that no former Indra had succeeded in building such a palace. At first, Indra is
amused by the brahmin boy's claim to know of former Indras. But the amusement turns to horror as the
boy tells about Indra's ancestors, about the great cycles of creation and destruction, and even about the
infinite number of worlds scattered through the void, each with its own Indra. The boy claims to have
seen them all. During the boy's speech, a procession of ants had entered the hall. The boy saw the ants
and laughed. Finally humbled, Indra asks the boy why he laughed. The boy reveals that the ants are all
former Indras.

Another visitor enters the hall. He is Shiva, in the form of a hermit. On his chest lies a circular cluster of
hairs, intact at the circumference but with a gap in the middle. Shiva reveals that each of these chest
hairs corresponds to the life of one Indra. Each time a hair falls, one Indra dies and another replaces
him.

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No longer interested in wealth and honor, Indra rewards Vishvakarma and releases him from any further
work on the palace. Indra himself decides to leave his life of luxury to become a hermit and seek
wisdom. Horrified, Indra's wife Shuchi asks the priest Brihaspati to change her husband's mind. He
teaches Indra to see the virtues of both the spiritual life and the worldly life. Thus, at the end of the
story, Indra learns how to pursue wisdom while still fulfilling his kingly duties.

The 14 Indras
Each Manu rules during an eon called a Manvantara. 14 Manvantaras make up a Kalpa, a period
corresponding to a day in the life of Brahma. Every Manvantara has 1 Indra that means with every
Kalpa 14 Indras changes. Thae Markandye Rishi is said to have a complete age of one Kalpa and in a
Puran on his name called "Markandey Puran" the exact age corresponding to the human age or solar
year is described in details. The following list is according to Vishnu Purana 3.1–2):

Manvatara/Manu Indra
Svayambhuva Yajna (Avatar of Vishnu)
Swarochish Vipaschit
Uttam Sushaanti
Taamas Shibi
Raivat Vibhu
Chaakshush Manojav
Shraaddhdev Purandar (the present Indra)
Savarni Bali
Daksha Saavarni Adbhut
Brahma Saavarni Shanti
Dharma Saavarni Vish
Rudraputra Saavarni Ritudhaama
Ruchi (Deva Saavarni) Devaspati
Bhaum (Indra Saavarni) Suchi

In Buddhism, Jainism, and Taoism

In Buddhist and Jain texts, Indra is commonly called
by his other name Śakra, ruler of the Trāyastriṃśa
heaven. Śakra is, however, sometimes given the title Indra, or, more commonly, Devānām Indra,
"Lord of the Devas". The ceremonial name of Bangkok claims that the city was "given by Indra and
built by Vishvakarman." The provincial seal of Surin province in Thailand is an image of Indra atop
Airavata.

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In Jainism, Indra is also known as Saudharmendra,

and always serves Tirthankar. Indra most commonly
appears in stories related to Mahavira, in which
Lord Indra himself manages and celebrates the five
auspicious events in Tirthankar's life, such as
Chavan kalyanak, Janma kalyanak, Diskha
kalyanak, Kevalgyan kalyanak, and Nirvan
kalyanak.

In China, Korea, and Japan, he is known by the

characters 帝释天, (Japanese: "Tai-shaku-ten",
kanji:帝釈天). In Japan, Indra always appears Indra (alias Sakra) and Sachi Riding the Divine
opposite Brahma (梵天, Japanese: "Bonten") in Elephant Airavata, Folio from a Jain text,
Panchakalyanaka (Five Auspicious Events in the
Buddhist art. Brahma and Indra are revered together Life of Jina Rishabhanatha [Adinatha]), circa 1670-
as protectors of the historical Buddha (释迦, 1680, Painting in LACMA museum, originally from
Japanese: "Shaka",kanji:釈迦), and are frequently Amber, Rajasthan
shown giving Shaka his first bath. Although Indra is
often depicted like a bodhisattva in the Far East, typically in Tang dynasty costume, his iconography
also includes a martial aspect, wielding a thunderbolt from atop his elephant mount.

Some Buddhists regard the Taoist Jade Emperor as another interpretation of Indra.

In the Huayan school of Buddhism, the image of Indra's net is a metaphor for the emptiness of all things.

See also
 Rigvedic deities
 Hindu deities
 Skanda
 Vāc

References
1. ^ Presidential Address W. H. D. Rouse Folklore, Vol. 18, No. 1 (Mar., 1907), pp. 12-23: "King
of the Gods is Sakka, or Indra"
2. ^ "Indra and Shiva" by KOENRAAD ELST
3. ^ Hymn XXX, P. 407 The Hymns of the Atharvaveda
4. ^ P. 113 Rig-Veda-Sanhitá By Horace Hayman Wilson, Edward Byles Cowell, William Frederick
Webster
5. ^ P. 248 Journal of the American Oriental Society By American Oriental Society
6. ^ Rig Veda:10.119.2
7. ^ Rig Veda: Rig-Veda, Book 3: HYMN XXX. Indra
8. ^ Rig Veda: Rig-Veda, Book 5: HYMN XXXVI. Indra
9. ^ (Masson-Oursel and Morin, 326).
10. ^ Balakanda-Ramayana
11. ^ Zimmer, Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization, ed. Joseph Campbell (New York:
Harper Torchbooks, 1962), p. 3-11

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12. ^ webadept-ga, "Re: Religion and Suffering," 07 Jan 2003 21:26 PST, Google Answers, 28
March 2007 <http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=138918>

1. Masson-Oursel, P.; Morin, Louise (1976). "Indian Mythology." In New Larousse Encyclopedia of
Mythology, pp. 325-359. New York: The Hamlyn Pulishing Group.

 Janda, M., Eleusis, das indogermanische Erbe der Mysterien (1998).

External links
 Indra, the Storm-god - by Benjamin Slade
 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Indra
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