इन्द्र - Lord Indra
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Ancient telluric technology devices - VAJRA ?? |
Lord Indra is considered as the lord of gods. He governs heavens and looks after the affairs of gods and goddesses. He is the most effective and powerful lord and in almost all the wars with the demons in earlier ages, he acted as the chief commander of forces, of gods. It is believed that rains, droughts or famines are dependent on lord Indra. If he is unhappy with man and the world, he causes sufferings to humanity either through annihilating rains or famine like conditions. Hill people have different perception about Indra. In certain parts of the state, people call the deity, Indrunaag, the lord of rain and cloud, thunderstorm, plenty and scarcity, love and anger. The anthropomorphic god Indra was the most important god in the Vedic religion and he later became a major figure in Hinduism and an important deity in Buddhism, Cham and Chinese tradition. For the Aryas he was their national god and he was regarded as the protector of the military aristocracy and the Kshatriyas warriors.
Indra's father is the sage Kashyapa, son of the sage Marichi who is one of the mind-born sons of Brahma. Kashyapa married numerous daughters of Brahma's other son Daksha, including Aditi, mother of the twelve Adityas which include Indra. This is confirmed in numerous scriptures.
Here is what the Aranya Kanda of the Ramayana says, for instance:
Of them Kashyapa accepted eight slender-waisted daughters of Daksha Prajapati, namely Aditi, Diti, Danu, Kealakaa and Tamara, Krodhavasha, also thus Manu and even Anala also as wives. Then Kashyapa is gladdened and said to those young wives, "You all shall deliver sons similar to me and who can sustain the three worlds." ... Aditi gave birth to twelve Adityas, the Sun-gods, eight Vasu-s, the Terrestrials-gods, eleven Rudras, the Fury-gods, and two Ashvins, the medicine-gods, total thirty-three of them.
And here is what the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata says:
And [Dakaha] bestowed ten of his daughters on Dharma, and thirteen on Kasyapa. And he gave twenty-seven to Chandra, who are all engaged in indicating time. And Kasyapa, the son of Marichi, begat on the eldest of his thirteen wives, the Adityas, the celestials endued with great energy and having Indra as their head and also Vivasvat (the Sun).
Finally, here is what the Srimad Bhagavatam says:
[Daksha] gave ten daughters in charity to Dharmarāja [Yamarāja], thirteen to Kaśyapa [first twelve and then one more], twenty-seven to the moon-god, and two each to Aṅgirā, Kṛśāśva and Bhūta. The other four daughters were given to Kaśyapa.... O King Parīkṣit, now please hear from me the names of Kaśyapa’s wives, from whose wombs the population of the entire universe has come. They are the mothers of almost all the population of the entire universe, and their names are very auspicious to hear. They are Aditi, Diti, Danu, Kāṣṭhā, Ariṣṭā, Surasā, Ilā, Muni, Krodhavaśā, Tāmrā, Surabhi, Saramā and Timi.... Now please hear me as I describe the descendants of Aditi in chronological order. In this dynasty the Supreme Personality of Godhead Nārāyaṇa descended by His plenary expansion. The names of the sons of Aditi are as follows: Vivasvān, Aryamā, Pūṣā, Tvaṣṭā, Savitā, Bhaga, Dhātā, Vidhātā, Varuṇa, Mitra, Śatru and Urukrama.
Shatru is another name for Indra.
Indra has many epithets notably:
Śakra (शक्र) - powerful one.
Vṛṣan (वृषन्) - mighty.
Vṛtrahan (वृत्रहन्) - slayer of Vṛtra.
Meghavāhana (मेघवाहन) - he whose cloud is vehicle.
Devarāja (देवराज) - king of deities.
Devendra (देवेन्द्र)- the lord of deities.[4]
Surendra (सुरेन्द्र) - chief of deities.
Svargapati (स्वर्गपति) - the lord of heaven (Svarga Loka).
Vajrapāṇī (वज्रपाणि) - he who has thunderbolt (Vajra) in his hand.
Vāsava (वासव) - lord of Vasus
IN OTHER RELIGIONS
Indra is known as Sakra in Buddhism and he rules the 33 gods. In Cambodian tradition he is known as Pah En the god of the sky and he is the most popular of the gods. He is considered to live atop Mt. Meru or Prah Sumer along with his servants the Yeaks (Yashas), fearsome ogres with fangs and red eyes who can transform themselves at will into any shape they please. In the Cham religion of Vietnam he is also the god of thunder and rides a white elephant. In Chinese tradition he is identified with the god Ti-shi. Finally, the god is still worshipped today in the Rajasthan region of India in the festival of Inder Puja which calls for rains to prevent the frequent droughts prevalent in this desert state.
Only Temple as our record -
Indra Mandir (Waghadi village) | temple
IS THE LOCATED ON HILL & SURROUNDED BY TREES THAT'S REASON BEHIND MANY PEOPLE ARE NOT KNOWING ABOUT THIS. TEMPLE IS NEAR BY THE MARUTI MANDIR.
Nearby cities: Dahanu, BAVISA FALIYA, Silvassa
Coordinates: 19°55'37"N72°58'3"E
however, there are a very few temples, dedicated to other Devas, which also contain his image. The Indian devotee may find him in the following places:
Andhra Pradesh, Arasavalli, Sūryanārāyaṇa temple: There is purported to be a beautiful statue of Indra within the Sūryanārāyaṇa complex, as well as a sacred pond “Pushkarini” that Indra created with his vajra.
Gujarat, Bilimora, Gāyatrī Mandir: There is an Indra murti within the temple, a lovely image with a photograph available.
Himachal Pradesh, Sirmaur district, left bank of the Renuka Lake, Gāyatrī Devi temple: A marble idol of Indra is installed here.
Maharashtra, Mumbai, Mumbadevi temple: There is a statue of Indra here.
Maharashtra, Trimbak, Tryambakeśvara temple: The shrine of Indreshwar Mahadev (a form of Śiva) houses a statue of Indra on Airāvata. There is also an Indra tirtha here.
Rajasthan, Pushkar, Brahmā temple: This unique temple in Pushkar seems to have an image of Indra among the temple murtis, though it is difficult to see in this photograph.
Tamil Nadu, Puducherry (Morattandi), Navagraha temple: This newly-built temple has a statue group of Devī, Gaṇeśa, Bhairava, and Indra; you can see them in a photograph about halfway down this page, which also tells the story of the temple.
The Rigveda 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 pariah who was oppressed, you glorified the blind and the lame. (Rg-Veda 2:13:12)
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 Vṛtrá, liberating the rivers, or alternatively, his smashing of the Vala cave, a stone enclosure where the Panis had imprisoned the cows that are habitually identified with Ushas, the dawn(s). He is the god of war, smashing the stone fortresses of the Dasyu, but he is also 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. (Some early post Rigvedic texts such as the Khilas and the late Vedic Brihadaranyaka 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 Mānavēndra (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.
"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).
Indra's Bow
The rainbow is called Indra's Bow (Sanskrit: indradhanusha इन्द्रधनुष).
Relations with other gods
In Hindu religion, he is married to Shachi or Indrani or Pulomaja.
Indra and Shachi have daughters called Jayanti and Devasena. Jayanti is the spouse of Shukracharya and the latter is the consort of the war-god Kartikeya.
PURANAS
Status and function-
Krishna holding Govardhan hill from Smithsonian Institution’s collections
In post-Vedic texts, Indra is described with more human characteristics and vices than any other Vedic deity. Modern Hindus tend to see Indra as minor deity in 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.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. 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.
Gautama's curse-
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.
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. 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 Shachi 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.
Wife of Indra - Shachi (Sanskrit: शची; also known as Indrani (queen of Indra), Aindri, Mahendri , Pulomaja and Poulomi) is the goddess of wrath and jealousy, and a daughter of Puloman, an Asura who was killed by Indrani's future husband, Indra. She is one of the seven Matrikas (mother goddesses). She is described as beautiful and having the most beautiful eyes. She is associated with lions and elephants. With Indra, she is the mother of Jayanta and Jayanti and Medusa, Nilambara, Rbhus, Rsabha and Chitragupta. In Hindu epics, she is also described as "The Endless Beauty".
Goddess Shachi or Indrani is one of the Sapta Matrikas – the seven divine mothers or Saptamatrika in Hindu religion. It is said that she has similar characteristics to Indra and the same Vahana or vehicle – white elephant. A puja dedicated to Goddess Indrani is performed during the Ashada Navratri.
Weapon of Indra - Vajra is a Sanskrit word meaning both thunderbolt and diamond. Additionally, it is a weapon which is used as a ritual object to symbolize both the properties of a diamond (indestructibility) and a thunderbolt (irresistible force)..
Protection from nightmare and/or lightning-strike may be secured by gaining the aid of Indra. Praise his son Arjuna with the recitation of Arjuna’s ten names:
Arjuna (bright, shining)
Phālguna (one born under nakshatra Uttara Phālgunī)
Jiṣṇu (unconquerable, leader of the heavenly host)
Kirīti (who wears the shining diadem)
Śvetavāhana (whose chariot is drawn by shining steeds)
Bībhatsu (fair fighter, terrifying to behold in battle)
Vijaya (victorious)
Pārtha (scholar-student, son of Kuṃtī)
Savyasāci (ambidextrous one)
Dhanañjaya (winner of great wealth).
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. The Markandeya Rishi is said to have a complete age of one Kalpa and in a Puran on his name called "Markandeya Purana" 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)
In Buddhism and Jainism, Indra is commonly called by his other name, Śakra or Sakka, ruler of the Trāyastriṃśa heaven. However, Śakra is 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, Thailand is an image of Indra atop Airavata.
Buddhism
In the Buddhism of the Far East, Indra is one of the twelve Devas, as guardian deities, who are found in or around Buddhist shrines (Jūni-ten, 十二天).[36] In Japan, Indra has been called "Taishaku-ten".[37] He joins these other eleven Devas of Buddhism, found in Japan and other parts of southeast Asia: Indra (Taishaku-ten), Agni (Ka-ten), Yama (Emma-ten), Nirrti (Rasetsu-ten), Vayu (Fu-ten), Ishana (Ishana-ten), Kubera (Tamon-ten), Varuna (Sui-ten) Brahma (Bon-ten), Prithvi (Chi-ten), Surya (Nit-ten), Chandra (Gat-ten)
Indra as Sakka and Shachi riding the divine elephant Airavata, folio from a Jain text, Panch Kalyanaka (five auspicious events in the life of the tirthankara Rishabhanatha), circa 1670-1680, Painting in LACMA museum, originally from Amer, Rajasthan
In Jainism, Indra is also known as Sau Dharmendra, and always serves the Tirthankaras. Indra most commonly appears in stories related to Tirthankaras, in which Indra himself manages and celebrates the five auspicious events in that Tirthankaras life, such as Chavan kalyanak, Janma kalyanak, Diksha kalyanak, Kevala Jnana kalyanak, and moksha kalyanak.
Certain Jain texts also depict the comparative powers of Indra in the following manner:
A bull is as powerful as 12 warriors.
A horse is as powerful as 10 bulls.
A buffalo is as powerful as 12 horses.
A mane is as powerful as 15 buffalos.
An elephant with four face is as powerful as 500 Lions.
An octoped (Astapada mythical eight limbed animal) is as powerful as 2,000 maned elephant.
A Baldeva is as powerful as 1 million octopeds.
A Vasudeva is as powerful as 2 Baldevs. (A Prati-vasudeva is slightly less powerful that a Vasudeva)
A Chakravarti is as powerful as 2 Vasudev's.
A king of serpent gods is as powerful as 100,000 Chakravartis.
An Indra is as powerful as 10 million kings of serpent gods.
The power of innumerable Indra's is insignificant as compared to that of the small finger of a Tirthankara.
Mantras
Oṃ namo bhagavate mahārājāya.
Oṃ and salutations to the supreme lord of lords/king of kings.
Oṃ namo bhagavate rājadevāya.
Oṃ and salutations to the supreme king of Devas/divine ruler.
the Svacchanda-tantra provides the simple oṃ indrāya vajrahastāya namaḥ
Indra Gāyatrī is usually prescribed for those seeking protection and security, particularly against attack or aggression, but I believe it may be used for general devotion as well. Here are three variants of Indra Gāyatrī:
oṃ devarājāya vidmahe |
vajrahastāya dhīmahi |
tanno indraḥ prachodayāt ||
“Oṃ, let us meditate upon the King of Devas. May that great God who holds the thunderbolt in his hand, inspire and illumine our mind and understanding.”
Bīja mantras:
In my limited journey so far, I have found (and read) that bīja mantra meditation may not be the ideal exercise for a beginner. A bīja or seed mantra is a profound statement of a deity’s essence, so if one is new to Lord Indra and/or mantra meditation, it might be better to start with a mantra to understand Indra personally – oṃ indrāya namaḥ for instance – before approaching a bīja mantra that will convey his subtle nuances, higher wisdom, and powerful energies.
The sources for these mantras and their meanings are the works of Śrī Ganapati Muni and Pandit Vamadeva Shastri; relevant works of the latter include an article entitled “The Mantric Approach of the Vedas” and the book Mantra Yoga and Primal Sound. All writings in quotation marks are the words of Vamadeva.
Hīṃ
“Hīṃ refers to the power of the Vajra or the lightning bolt of pure perception that Indra, the deity of cosmic prana, wields.”
Hūm
“Hūm is more an Agni mantra as Hota, but can be used for Indra as Vidyut-Agni.”
It “is a mantra of the inner fire or thermogenic force. It both calls the divine down into us and offers our soul upward to the Divine for transformation in the sacred fire of awareness…It is used to destroy negativity and creates great passion and vitality. As a powerful mantra it should also be used carefully. Yet it can be used in a more gentle manner to invoke divine grace and protection. Through it we can offer ourselves or our afflictions into the Divine for purification and transformation.
“Hūm is a Vedic mantra of Agni or fire. It is the mantra used to make offerings into the sacred fire. It also is used to call or invoke the fire and to make it flame up more brilliantly. It represents the soul hidden the body, the Divine immanent in the world. It governs the earth and the material sphere in general.”
Īṃ
“Another important mantra for Indra is īṃ, as the lord of higher perception. That is what Ganapati and Daivarata call the Rigvedic Pranava.” (Pranava is “the Cosmic Word: through its power, the secret of all Vedic mantras can be revealed.”)
“It is the power of Divine light and seeing…It projects an energy and power of perception, the electrical force of seeing. It is the mantric sound of the eyes in the Mantra Purusha. The mantra īṃ allows for the awakening of the Shakti of any mantra, and also provides the vision behind the mantra, its knowledge component.”
Krīṃ
Krīṃ is “Vidyut Shakti, which is associated with Indra and the supreme Prana.”
It “is a mantra of Indra, the supreme deity of the Vedas, the Divine as the cosmic lord and enlightenment force. Krīṃ is the thunderbolt or Vajra that destroys the serpent of ignorance and releases the light of absolute truth. It represents the force of the atmosphere…and carries the supreme life force.”
Laṃ
Laṃ is “mainly a mantra for Indra as a directional deity, though [it] also relates to the Vajra.”
It is also the bīja mantra for the mūlādhāra (first/root) cakra.
Oṃ
It is the “power of divine prana and hearing.” It is also associated with Indra as “chhandasama rishibha, the bull of the chants.”
Maharashtra: There is a hill here called Indragiri; a fortress upon it bears the same name or else is called Indrai. I have read that there are decayed images of Indra and Rudra within these caves.
Kavyakantha Vasishtha Ganapati Muni has culled Indra-sahasranama from the Vedas:
http://maghavan.files.
To Be Continue .....
