Lord Indra appears as the king of gods and heaven in Hindu Puranas and is vilified most of the time. But he is the chief god in Rig Veda and is depicted as greater than other Hindu gods. He is the god of thunder, lightning, and rain. In the Puranas, the word Indra is used as a person as well as designation.
Meaning of the Name Indra:
The word Indra is made from combining two words, viz. Indu and Ra. The word Indu means “a drop” and Ra means “acquiring or possessing”. Therefore, Indra means “possessing drops of rain”.
Different Names of Lord Indra:
1. Devendra
2. Sahastranayana
3. Devraj
4. Purandar
5. Mahendra
6. Amaresh
7. Amarendra
8. Sachin
9. Shakra
Iconography:
Lord Indra is mainly depicted as having four arms and riding a white elephant named Airavata. He wields a vajra, a sword, a noose, and a hook in his four hands. He looks very handsome and young. Indra wears a golden crown and other golden ornaments.
Origin:
Indra is a Vedic deity and is mentioned in around 255 hymns in the Rig Veda. He is called lord of the universe in many verses.
यो विश्व॑स्य॒ जग॑तः प्राण॒तस्पति॒र्यो ब्र॒ह्मणे॑ प्रथ॒मो गा अवि॑न्दत् । इन्द्रो॒ यो दस्यूँ॒रध॑राँ अ॒वाति॑रन्म॒रुत्व॑न्तं स॒ख्याय॑ हवामहे ॥
यो विश्वस्य जगतः प्राणतस्पतिर्यो ब्रह्मणे प्रथमो गा अविन्दत् । इन्द्रो यो दस्यूँरधराँ अवातिरन्मरुत्वन्तं सख्याय हवामहे ॥ (RigVeda 1.101.5)
“Who is the lord of all moving and breathing creatures, who first recovered the (stolen) kine for the Brāhmaṇa, and who slew the humbled Dasyus; we invoke to become our friend, Indra, attended by the Maruts.”
Stories of Lord Indra:
The Slaying of Vritrasura:
Vritrasura was a very powerful demon. He had kept the waters of the world captive. Therefore, Indra planned a battle against him. Before going to war, he drank a large volume of Soma at Tvashtri’s house who is an artisan god. Tvashtri designed the thunderbolt for Indra. Then, Indra requested Vishnu to create space for the war. Lord Vishnu did this by taking three strides and hence called Trivikrama.
In the fierce battle, Vritrasura broke the two jaws of Indra, but then Indra threw him down crushing the 99 fortresses of Vritra. Thus, Indra got the name Vritrahn (the Slayer of Vritra).
Read the Full Story: Vritrasura
Lord Indra and Ahalya:
Ahalya was the wife of Sage Gautama. Her beauty was incomparable. Indra wanted to marry her but could not because he lost in a race to Sage Gautama. This had created a rift between them. After the marriage with Ahalya, Sage Gautama lost in his austerity and paid little attention to her. He did not have any physical relationship with her for many days.
Indra suspected that the sage was observing penance to win heaven. Therefore, he planned a plot to rip off his divine powers as well as to get Ahalya. Once when the sage went to the river early morning, disguised as him, Indra entered his hut and became intimate with Ahalya. Ahalya did not offer much resistance despite recognizing him.
When Sage Gautama came to know about this, he cursed both of them and left for the Himalayas.
Read the Full Story: Indra and Ahalya
Wife of Lord Indra:
Shachi is the wife of Indra. She is also known as Indrani and is the queen of gods. She is the daughter of an Asura named Pulmona.
In a Rig Vedic verse, Shachi mentions that she defeated many beautiful women in competition and became the wife of Indra.
Children of Indra:
Indra and Shachi have a son named Jayant and two daughters named Jayanti and Devasena. Jayanti married the Asura guru Shukracharya, and Devasena became the wife of Kartikeya, the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.
Per the Bhagavata Purana, Indra and Shachi have three sons named Jayant, Rishabha, and Midhusha.
According to Mahabharata, Arjuna was the son of Indra and Kunti.
Per the Ramayana, the king of Vanaras, Vali was the son of Indra.
Carrier:
Generally, Lord Indra is depicted as riding a white elephant named Airavata who has four tusks and seven trunks. He is the king of all elephants and possesses many divine powers. He was born during the Churning of the Ocean.
Weapon:
Vajra is the main weapon of Indra. It is one of the most powerful weapons possessed by any Hindu god. It was made from the bones of Sage Dadhichi to kill Vritrasura by Vishwakarma, the architect of gods.
Worship:
Indra’s worship is prohibited by Hindus, but he is still worshipped by some Hindus. Kalasha people in Pakistan still worship Indra.
Indra Jatra is the biggest street festival in Kathmandu, Nepal. It was initiated by King Gunakamadeva to celebrate the founding of Kathmandu city in the 10th century. It is celebrated with masked dances of gods and demons and displays of sacred images to honor Lord Indra.
Why is Indra Not Worshipped?
Most of the Hindus do not worship Lord Indra. There is no temple of Indra in India. The main reason behind this is his misbehavior with Ahalya. He committed a grave sin by tricking a married woman into having sex. This kind of behavior is not expected from a god. Therefore, he is not worshipped by most Hindus.
Similarities with Other Gods:
Indra shares many characteristics with other non-Hindu gods, like Zeus, Odin, Thor, and Jupiter. Zeus and Indra have so many similarities that many people confuse whether they are the same deities. They both are kings of gods. Zeus fights with Titans, and Indra fights with Asuras. They both are gods of thunder. They both had many extramarital affairs. Their weapons also look similar.
In Buddhism:
Indra is also worshipped by Buddhists and is referred to as Sakra, the ruler of Trayastrimsa heaven. In China, he is regarded as one of the 24 protective gods. In Japan, he is one of the 12 guardian deities.
Lord Indra In Jainism:
In Jainism, Lord Indra serves Tirthankaras by managing five auspicious events in their lives. There are 64 Indras, each ruling over different heavenly realms.
Indra as a Designation:
According to Puranas, Indra is not a name of a person as is in the Vedas but is a position. One day of Lord Brahma’s life has 14 Manvantaras. Each Manvantara (43,20,00,000 human years) has its own Indra.
Names of Indra in the Current Kalpa:
First Manvantara: Yajna.
Second: Vipaschita.
Third: Sushanti.
Fourth: Shibi.
Fifth: Vibhu.
Sixth: Manojav.
Seventh (present): Purandara.
Eighth: Bali.
Ninth: Adbhut.
Tenth: Shanti.
Eleventh: Vish.
Twelfth: Ritudhaama.
Thirteenth: Devaspati.
Fourteenth: Suchi.
Should Hindus Start Worshipping Lord Indra?
The main reason Indra is not worshipped is the adultery. I have read some worse stories about some Hindu gods who committed more grave sins and are still worshipped. Then what is wrong with Indra’s worship?
We should understand that gods also make mistakes. Long before (millions or trillions of years ago) gods were humans. They became gods by doing yajna per Hindu scriptures. So, they are also fallible. Compared to the powers they have, the mistakes they make are negligible.
If humans or Asuras have that kind of power, they might make much bigger mistakes. Therefore, if someone thinks that Indra’s “crime” is not that big, there should not be any problem in worshipping him.
Image Source: Wikipedia