Mythology
October 14, 2006
INDIAN MYTHOLOGY INTRODUCTION Religious Complexity of Hindu Society
Indra is the god of warriors, but also the god of Nature - a kind of Hercules with the aspect of Zeus. He reigns in the sky and triumphs in the storm, when he thunders and lets loose the rain. He is depicted with two arms, one of which holds a thunderbolt (vajra) and the other a bow; or with four arms, two of which hold lances similar to elephant goads. His steed, in fact, is the elephant Airavata, born from the sea of milk. Indra, the prototype of the caste of nobles, has no legendary connection with gods of another origin. But an effort was made to link him closely with the god Agni. He was supposed to be Agni’s twin brother, and therefore son of Heaven and of Earth. His wife–a mere reflection of himself– is Indrani, and his son Sitragupta. Indra is Svargapati, the lord of heaven; Meghavahana, rider of the clouds; Vajri, the thunderer. He lives on mount Meru, the supposed centre of the earth, to the north of the Himalayas, and therefore between earth and heaven. The story of his battle with the demon shows us how the great Indra, Mahendra, came to deserve the title of powerful, Sakra; with this reservation, that popular inspiration degraded to the level of cunning an efficacy which from the very essence of the god should have been cosmic energy and the strength of a hero. Indra and the Demon Vritra Once upon a time there was a powerful Brahman by the name of Tvashtri who did not like Indra. To deprive Indra of his throne the Brahman created a son, and strengthened him with his own power. This son had three heads. With the first he read the Vedas; with the second he fed himself; and with the third he seemed to observe every inch of the horizon. He surpassed all men by the ardor of his asceticism and the pious humility of his heart. Indra became uneasy at the spectacle of the daily increase of a power which seemed destined to absorb the universe - and he decided to intervene. The most seductive girls of heaven were sent to tempt the young ascetic, but in vain. Indra then decided that the youthful sage must die, and smote him with his thunderbolt. But even in death the body of the young Brahman radiated such glorious light over the world that Indra’s fears were not calmed. He ordered a passing wood-cutter to cut off the dead man’s three heads #NAME? To avenge his son, Tvashtri brought to life a demon which he named Vritra. This demon was so huge his head reached to the sky. He challenged Indra to fight. A horrible battle followed, and the demon was victorious. He seized the king of gods, cast him into his jaw, and swallowed him. The terrified gods did not know what to do. They had the inspiration to gag the demon, and as soon as he opened his mouth Indra contracted his body, jumped through the gaping jaws, and the battle jtarted up again more furiously than ever. But the god was compelled to fly. In his humiliation he consulted the Rishi, and they all went together to get the advice of the god Vishnu who told them to make peace through the intervention of the Rishi, adding mysteriously that perhaps one day he would incarnate himself in a weapon which would slay the demon Vritra. The Rishi succeeded in persuading Vritra to a reconciliation with his enemy, but with one condition. ‘Give me your solemn promise,’ he said, ‘that Indra will never attack me with any weapon of wood, stone or iron, nor with anything dry, nor with anything wet. Promise too that he will never attack me by day nor by night.’ The pact was agreed to. However, Indra secretly meditated revenge. One evening he was on the sea-shore, and saw his enemy at no great distance; and suddenly he thought: The sun is setting on the horizon, darkness is coming on, but it is not yet night and it is not altogether day. If I could kill the demon now, between day and night, I should not have broken my promise.’ While he mused he saw a vast column of foam rise from the sea, and Indra realised that it was neither dry nor wet nor stone nor iron nor wood. He seized the foam and hurled it at the demon who fell dead on the shore, for it was Vishnu
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