One of the most
powerful and ancient Hindu gods.
His social standing has shifted throughout time,
demonstrating how Hinduism has evolved.
Indra is the Vedic god par excellence in the oldest Hindu
texts, the hymns of the Rig Veda.
Indra, like other Vedic deities, is linked to natural
events, in this instance the force of the storm; he was thought to live in the
area (antariksha) between the ground and the sky, where storms occur.
In many aspects, Indra seems to be a metaphor for the values
and abilities praised in the Vedas, and (as many have deduced) by the Aryans
themselves.
Indra is an indestructible warrior who is capable of amazing
feats.
Indra's struggle with the snake Vrtra (1.32) is described in
one of the key hymns in the Rig Veda (1.32).
Vrtra is eventually slain and chopped into pieces, enabling
the dammed rivers to flow freely across the country.
Indra is a consumer of the intoxicating substance soma,
which causes him to have enlarged reveries about his own magnificence; he is
the ultimate man's man in a society where male values are normally emphasized.
Nearly a quarter of the 1,028 hymns in the Rig Veda are
dedicated to Indra, who is regarded as the force that encircles the globe.
As the Hindu tradition evolved and grew, some of Indra's
traits and functions remained consistent.
Indra's dominion is still the atmospheric zone between the
ground and the sky in later Hindu mythology, and he is still revered as the
deity of the storm, the giver of rain, and the wielder of the holy thunderbolt.
Indra is also one of the eight Guardians of the Directions,
ruling over the eastern half of the continent.
Around the first century, however, several aspects of Indra
altered; most notably, Indra was "demoted" to being only the ruler of
the heavenly regions and the king of the gods.
His position is far more vulnerable, since he is considered
as being impacted by the workings of karma, rather than being the greatest,
unquestioned authority in the cosmos.
When Indra becomes spiritually fatigued or when a competitor
on Earth is spiritually powerful enough to topple him, he is replaced.
The storyline of many tales in old Sanskrit scriptures is
advanced by Indra's throne getting heated (a sign that a human person is
gathering power to replace Indra) and Indra acting to resist this danger.
When the opponent is a celibate monk whose source of
strength is renunciation, Indra generally sends forth an apsara (divine nymph)
whose heavenly charms might seduce the ascetic and destroy his power by ruining
his celibacy.
In other circumstances, the danger may come from individuals
who have completed one hundred great sacrifices; in this case, Indra prevents
the hundredth sacrifice by seizing King Sagar's precious horse.
Indra is the gods' king and ruler, but he can only sustain
his position by keeping a close watch on any potential dangers.
The way Indra is depicted in various mythological stories
reflects this loss of "divine" status.
He is depicted as a lecher and an adulterer in Ahalya's
narrative, enticing Ahalya by taking the guise of her husband, the sage
Gautama.
When Gautama realizes what has transpired, he curses Indra
with a thousand vulvas on his body, however the punishment is eventually
changed to a thousand eyeballs.
Indra's impotence in the face of his own passion, as well as
his failure to bear Gautama's curse, are clear indications that his divine
status has eroded.
Although he is still revered as the bringer of rain and the
bearer of the thunderbolt, his meeting with the teenage deity Krishna
demonstrates his weakened strength.
When Krishna convinces the village elders to stop giving to
Indra, the latter responds by unleashing severe rains that threaten to destroy
the settlement.
In the midst of grave danger, Krishna calmly raises Mount
Govardhan and holds it over their heads for seven days and nights, blocking the
rain.
Despite his best efforts, Indra is unable to defeat the
teenage Krishna, revealing once again where true divinity rests.
Indra is revealed to be the heavenly father of Arjuna, one
of the five Pandava brothers who are the epic's heroes, in the Mahabharata, the
later of the two major Hindu epics.
Arjuna is courageous and gallant, the quintessential warrior
who likes the clash of combat and is unrelenting in defending his personal and
family honor, and he shares his father's virtues and flaws.
He may also be egotistical, narcissistic, and obnoxious, and
he has a lot of extramarital affairs, some of which result in children.
Both are great soldiers when they're required, but they lack
the other attributes that make them useful in times of peace.
This narrative of Indra and Arjuna demonstrates that Indra has descended from being the most prominent god to becoming a lesser deity who is not worshipped.
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