Indra is a god in Hinduism, known for his role in weather and war. He is depicted with red skin and four arms, wielding the thunderbolt weapon, Vajra. He is famous for his battle with the dragon Vritra, where he used the Vajra to release the waters of the earth. Eventually, he was replaced by the Trimurti of Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva. Many of his tales teach moral lessons, such as temperance.
Indra is the king of the gods in early Hinduism, analogous in many ways to Zeus in Greek mythology, or Odin in Old Norse. He is the god of weather, as well as the god of war, and is heavily personified in the mythology of Hinduism. He is a character dedicated to displays of love and courage and drives many of the greatest romances and tales of valor.
Indra is usually visually described as having red skin and four arms, and is usually depicted wielding the thunderbolt weapon, Vajra. He was born of Prthivi and Dyaus Pita, the Earth and the Sky, and is sometimes said to be the twin of the fire god, Agni. Like Agni, he is said to have been born in full strength, ready for battle. He married goddess Indrani and had many sons by her, including Midhusa, Nilambara, Rsabha, Sitragupta, Rbhus, Arjuna and Jayanta.
In battle Indra was unmatched. He defended both mortals and gods from the forces of evil, riding into battle on his mount, the enormous four-tusked white elephant Airavata. His weapon, the Vajra, was capable of cutting through any substance, divine or otherwise, acting like a spear, mace and sword.
The most famous of Indra’s great battles for the sake of man was his battle with the dragon Vritra. In his greed, Vritra had accumulated all the water of the earth, not allowing anyone to drink it. The people of the earth were unable to fight Vritra, and thus were stuck in a constant state of drought. Finally, Indra was born, and his first great task was to liberate the water from Vritra. He consumed a great deal of Soma, the power-giving drink of the gods, to become incredibly powerful. He fought his way through ninety-nine fortresses, finally arriving at Vritra. They fought in the sky, equal in terms of power, none beat the other. In the midst of the battle, Indra reached the clouds and retrieved the thunderbolt, Vajra. With it, he struck a great blow against Vritra, bursting open her stomach and releasing all the waters of the earth that were held inside.
Eventually Indra was somewhat replaced by the Trimurti of Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva, as Hinduism changed to worship these three gods above others. In this later period, Indra was portrayed as somewhat weak, and the account of his battle with Vritra actually ends with him needing the help of both Vishnu and Shiva to destroy the dragon. Eventually he was placed as lord of the lesser gods of the pantheon, but still subject to the sway of the greater gods. This is best demonstrated in the accounts where Krishna repeatedly shows himself immune to Indra’s power.
Many of Indra’s tales, like many Greek tales, demonstrate a basic moral lesson. A famous tale of Indra, Indra and the ants, is a simple lesson in temperance. After becoming king of the gods, Indra requests Vishvakarma, the builder of the gods, to build him a mighty palace. He keeps asking for more and more to add to the palace. Overwhelmed, Vishvakarma enlists the help of Brahma, who enlists Vishnu’s help. Vishnu goes to the palace in the form of a little boy and admires the palace, saying it is even better than the palaces made by the former Indras. Indra laughs at this, but then the boy goes on to talk about the past Indras, all ultimately destroyed and reborn in the endless cycle of death and rebirth that claims the entire universe. Humiliated, Indra leaves the palace and becomes a hermit. Eventually, Indra is shown that running away from the world is no way to live in it, and he learns to balance a mundane existence with a spiritually awakened one.
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