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| Summary : Indra says “Oh Agastya no one understands what happens in the present or future. Man’s mind is wavering. How can he understand wisdom with such mind? But you, who are man of wisdom and full of Vedic knowledge, if your intelligence gets disturbed what to speak of others?” | | Summary : Indra says “Oh Agastya no one understands what happens in the present or future. Man’s mind is wavering. How can he understand wisdom with such mind? But you, who are man of wisdom and full of Vedic knowledge, if your intelligence gets disturbed what to speak of others?” |
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| किं न इन्द्र जिघांससि भ्रातरो मरुतस्तव | तेभिः कल्पस्व साधुया मा नः समरणे वधीः || 2 | | किं न इन्द्र जिघांससि भ्रातरो मरुतस्तव | तेभिः कल्पस्व साधुया मा नः समरणे वधीः || 2 |
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| Summary : “Oh Indra! You are the master of wealth and treasures, you are the master of the Mitra and supporter of Mitra. Oh Indra please be kind to the Marut devathas and accept the havishya of those yajnas that are performed in different seasons and be satisfied." | | Summary : “Oh Indra! You are the master of wealth and treasures, you are the master of the Mitra and supporter of Mitra. Oh Indra please be kind to the Marut devathas and accept the havishya of those yajnas that are performed in different seasons and be satisfied." |
| + | ==Indra in Mahabharata== |
| + | Many anecdotes are described in Mahabharata about Indra involved in various events. |
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− | Add: Vritrasura vadha, Indra’s deficiencies, Indra as position.
| + | === Govardhana === |
− | | + | Shrimad Bhaagavatam illustrates the subjugation of Indra's pride as in the story of Govardhana hill where Bhagavan Shri Krishna carried the hill and protected his devotees when Indra, angered by gopalas not worshiping him, launched torrential rains over the village. |
− | Indra is, with Varuna and Mitra, one of the Ādityas, the chief gods of the Rigveda (besides Agni and others such as the Ashvins). He delights in drinking soma and his central feat is his heroic defeat of Vritra|Vṛtrá, liberating the Rigvedic rivers|rivers, or alternatively, his smashing of the Vala (Vedic)|Vala cave, a stone enclosure where the Panis had imprisoned the cows. He is the God of war#Hinduism|god of war, smashing the stone fortresses of the dasa|Dasyu, but he is also invoked by combatants on both sides in the Battle of the Ten Kings.
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− | ==Indra in Mahabharata==
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− | Govardhana
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− | 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.
| + | === Arjuna === |
| + | Kunti, Pandu's wife had received a mantra from Durvasa rushi for begetting sons through devatas. Invoking Indra, Kunti begets a son named Arjuna. (Maha. Adiparva. Chap. 123). |
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− | Indraputra Arjuna
| + | === Karna === |
| + | On a day towards the end of his training Karna (in the guise of a brahmana) offers Parashurama his lap to rest his head and nap. But while Parashurama was asleep, Indra in the form of a bee stung Karna's thigh and despite the pain, Karna did not move, so as not to disturb his guru's sleep. |
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− | In Mahabhrata, Lord Indra became afraid of the fighting prowess of Karna and he himself took the form of a bee and stung Karna's thigh in order to benefit his son Arjuna. On a day towards the end of his training Karna happened to offer Parashurama his lap so his guru could rest his head and nap. But while Parashurama was asleep, Indra in the form of a bee stung Karna's thigh and despite the pain, Karna did not move, so as not to disturb his guru's sleep.With blood oozing from his wound and making him impure, Parashurama woke up and laid curse upon Karna that he would forget all the knowledge required to wield the divine weapon Brahmanda astra, at the moment of his greatest need.Later this incident saved the life of Indra's son Arjuna from certain death.
| + | Indra afraid of the fighting skills of Karna took the form of a bee and stung Karna's thigh in order to benefit his son Arjuna. With blood oozing from his wound, it was revealed to Parashurama that Karna was not a brahmana, and so cursed Karna that he would forget all the mantras required to wield the divine weapon Brahmaastra, at the moment of his greatest need. Later this incident saved the life of Indra's son Arjuna from certain death. |
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− | Karnakavacha daana
| + | Indra, king of the gods, asks in charity Karna’s natural armor 'Kavach and Kundal'. Karna donates this leaving himself vulnerable. (Maha. Aranyaparva. Chap 44, verse 9). |
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− | In another Mahabharata story, Karna tries to earn merit and fame by becoming the lord of charity, a ‘daan-veer’. Krishna takes advantage of this charitable nature and gets Indra, king of the gods, to ask as charity Karna’s natural armor 'Kavach and Kundal'. Karna donates this leaving himself vulnerable. Impressed by Karna’s unwavering commitment to charity, Indra gives Karna a spear that never misses its mark but can be used only once. Indra is also believed to have composed a treatise on modern philosophy named ''Bahudantaka''.
| + | === Ahalya === |
− | ===Gautama's curse=== | + | There are different versions of how Ahalya, the wife of Gautama rushi, was cursed to become a "stone" in different puranas. However, according to Valmiki Ramayana, Indra tricked Ahalya, when Gautama rushi went out for bath by taking his form. Gautama punished Indra with a curse of losing his manliness and Ahalya too was cursed of being invisible to the eyes of everyone, to take the form of a stone. He declared that her original form would return when Shri Ramachandra touched the stone. Indra's testicles were replaced by goat testicles. (Val. Rama. Bala kanda) |
− | Indra tricked Ahalya, the wife of Gautama Maharishi. The affair between Ahalya and Indra was not mutual. Gautama punished Indra with a curse of losing his manliness and Ahalya too was cursed of being invisible to the eyes of everyone.
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| ===Indra and the Ants=== | | ===Indra and the Ants=== |
| In this story from the ''Brahmavaivarta Purana'', 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. | | In this story from the ''Brahmavaivarta Purana'', 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. |