The realm of indra

August 1, 2015 Leave a Comment

A version of this article was published earlier at India Facts

Indra, is the Indo-Aryan version of the preeminent deity of the ancestral IndoEuropean pantheon. In the Vedic texts we see remnants of what might have
been an ancient tripartation of this deity, as manifest on the earth, in the
atmosphere and in the heavens. In the first realm he is manifest a warrior who
inspires men in battle and comes to the aid of his rya worshipers who offer
him rituals in this form he is typically called Indra or Maghavan or Vtrahan.
In

his atmospheric form he is Parjanya, who abundantly pours down life-giving

rain. In his celestial manifestation in the high heavens he is Dyaus. Already in
the gveda, the earliest surviving Indo-Aryan text, under the name Indra he
comprehensively encompasses all three functions. Yet, the old memory of
tripartation is still seen as both Parjanya and Dyaus are retained as distinct
devat-s with specific functions in the atmospheric and celestial domains. By
the time of the Mahbhrata, Parjanya has already mostly merged into Indra
and lost his distinctness and Dyaus is only faintly remembered within the
ogdoad of Vasu-s [incarnated on earth as the pitmaha Bhma]. In the rest of
the Indo-European world we see a similar consolidation of the ancestral
tripartation into a single figure, but in each case a different strand of original
triad is chosen for consolidation. In the Greek and Roman world we have the
cognate deities Zeus and Iuppiter (Ius+piter being father), where both are
cognates of Dyaus. In the Baltic and Slavic world we have Perkunas and Perun,
both of which are cognates of Parjanya. In Lithuania, the name of the place
featuring the great shrine of Perkunas with a holy oak tree from pre-Christian
times was Perknija a cognate of Parjanya. However, in Lithuania the cognate
of Indra continued to survive as Indraja, the name of the deity of the planet
Jupiter. In the Indosphere and among the Kalasha we see the consolidation
under Indra.
While Indra is the preeminent deity of the ancient Vedic rituals, in the later
period his prominence was challenged by sects centered on other deities like
Prajpati (Brahm), Bhaspati,
Rudra, Vi u and Kumra. This challenge

becomes visible first in the latter Vedic texts, especially the brhmaa-s

(including their terminal upaniad-s) and becomes rather ubiquitous in the

epics and the pura-s. Such challenges to the preeminence of the Indra-like
deity are also seen in other branches of the Indo-European world: In the
Iranosphere Ahura Mazda, a cognate of the Indian Varua, takes over as the
supreme deity. In the Germanic world Odin, belonging to the Rudra-class of
deities takes over while also subsuming few elements of Varua in his persona.
While the Veda-s abound in mantra-s to Indra, they are allusive in nature.
Hence, unlike the deities who became prominent later, some of legendary
materials, similar to those encountered in the pura-s for deities like Rudra,
Vi u and Kumra, have been forgotten. Yet, the Rmyaa and Mahbhrata
still retain some memory of the system in which Indra is preeminent and
consequently preserve some such legendary material of interest. Indeed, such
material seems to have been known to the aitihsika-s, as suggested by the
specific reference to them by Skandasvmin, the old commentator of the
gveda. One such is the description of Indras realm to Yudhihira
and his

brothers by the sage Nrada. On account of it being one of those pieces from
the great epic plainly retaining the ancient preeminence of Indra we present it
below in full (Mbh 2.7.1-26ab):
akrasya tu sabh divy bhsvar karmabhir jit |
svaya akrea kauravya nirmita+arka-samaprabh ||
Indeed, the divine and radiant assembly hall of akra was achieved by his own
deeds. O Kauravya, with splendor like that of the sun, it was built by akra
himself.
vistr yojana-ata atam adhyardham yat |
vaihyas kma-gam paca-yojanam ucchrit ||
It is laid out as a rectangle, 100 yojanas in breadth, 150 yojana-s in length and
5 yojana-s in height. It is suspended space and can go anywhere at will.
jar-oka-klampet nirtak iv ubh |
vemsanavat ramy divya-pdapa-obhit ||

Driving away weakness of age and anguish, free from affliction, benevolent and
auspicious is provided with chambers and seats and decorated with divine
trees.
tasy devevara prtha sabhy paramsane |
ste acy mahendry riy lakmy ca bhrata ||
O Prtha, in that assembly hall, on the foremost of thrones sits the lord of the
gods with ac, who, O Bhrata, is the the great Indr [also known as] r and
Lakm.
bibhrad vapur anirdeya kir lohita+agada |
virajombara citramlyo hr-krti-dyutibhi saha ||
Bearing an indescribable form, crowned, and with ruby-red bracelets, wearing
pure attire, with beautiful garlands, [he sits] accompanied by the goddesses of
modesty, fame, and majesty.
tasym upsate nitya mahtmna atakratum |
maruta sarvato rjan sarve ca ghamedhina
|

siddh devaraya caiva sdhy devagas tath |

marutvanta ca sahit bhsvanto hemamlina || [double anuubh]

O king, in that hall, the with Marut-s all around, all of whom are the receivers
of the offerings in the ghamedha
ritual, the siddha-s, devari-s, sdhya-s,

hosts of gods, all accompanied by the Marut-s and shining forth with golden
garlands continually worship the mighty one, the god of a hundred acts.
ete snucar sarve divyarp svala kt
|

upsate mahtmna devarjam ari damam ||

These, his attendants, of divine form and well-ornamented, worship the great
soul, the king of the gods, the crusher of foes.
tath devaraya sarve prtha akram upsate |
amal dhta-ppmno dpyamn ivgnaya |
tejasvina somayujo vipp vigata-klam ||

Then, O Prtha, all the devari-s, clean, rid of their evil, blazing like fires, full
of luster, united with soma, sinless, having overcome all weakness, worship
akra
parara parvata ca tath svariglavau |
ekata ca dvita caiva trita caiva mahmuni |
akha ca likhita caiva tath gaurair muni || [3-footed anuubh]

durvs ca drghatam yjavalkyo tha bhluki |

uddlaka vetaketus tath yyana
prabhu ||

havim ca gaviha
ca haricandra ca prthiva |
hdya
codarai lya prarya k vala
||

vtaskandho vikha ca vidht kla eva ca |

anantadantas tva ca vivakarm ca tumburu ||
ayonij yonij ca vyubhak hutina |
na sarvalokasya vajria samupsate ||
Parara, Parvata, Svari, Glava, Ekata, Dvita, Trita the great sages, akha,
Likhita the white-headed sage, Durvsas, Drghatamas, Yjavalkya,Bhluki,
Uddlaka, vetaketu, master yyana,
Havimnt, Gaviha,

king
Haricandra, Hdya,
Udara-i lya, K vala
the Prarya, Vtaskandha,

Vikha, Vidht, Kla, Anantadanta, Tva the

divine architect, Tumburu,

those not born from wombs and those born from wombs, those who feed off air
and those who feed of fire, together worship the wielder of the Vajra weapon,
the supreme lord of all the worlds.
sahadeva suntha ca vlmki ca mahtap |
samka satyav caiva pracet satyasa gara ||
medhtithir vmadeva pulastya pulaha kratu |
marutta ca marci ca sthu ctrir mahtap ||
kakvn gautamas trkyas tath vaivnaro muni |
muni klakavk
ya rvyo tha hirayada |
sa varto devahavya ca vivaksena ca vryavn |
kava ktyyano rjan grgya kauika eva tu || [double anuubh]

O king, Sahadeva, Suntha, Vlmki of great asceticism, Samka, Satyavn, the

Praceta-s who are epitomes of truthfulness, Medhtithi, Vmadeva, Pulastya,

Pulaha, Kratu, Marutta, Marci, Sthu and Atri, all of great asceticism,
Kakvn, Gautama, Trkya, the fire sage, sage Klakavk
ya, rvya,
Hirayada, Sa varta, Devahavya, Vivaksena of great virility, Kava,
Ktyyana, Grgya and also Kauika [are all attending to Indra]
divy pas tathauadhya raddh medh sarasvat |
artho dharma ca kma ca vidyuta cpi pa va ||
jalavhs tath megh vyava stanayitnava |
prc dig yajavh ca pvak saptavi ati ||
agnomau tathendrgn mitro tha savitryam |
bhago vive ca sdhy ca ukro manth ca bhrata |
sarve marut mny guru ukras tathaiva ca |
vivvasu citrasena sumanas taruas tath || [double anuubh]

yaj ca daki caiva grah stobh ca sarvaa |

yajavh ca ye mantr sarve tatra samsate ||
O Pa va, the celestial waters, plants, the goddesses raddh, Medh and
Sarasvat, artha, dharma and kma, lightning, monsoon clouds, other clouds,
winds, thunders, the eastern direction, 27 fires bearing ritual offerings, the
gods Agni, Soma, Agni who is conjoined with Indra, Mitra, Savit. Aryaman,
Bhaga, the Vivedeva-s, and the Sdhya-s, and O Bhrata the ukra and the
Manthin [Soma cups], all those respected ones of the Marut-s, Jupiter and
Venus, thereafter [the Gandharva-s] Vivvasu, Citrasena, Sumana, Tarua, the
rituals, the ritual-fee, the soma-cups, the magical vocalization of the Sman
chants, the ritual fires, all the mantra-s attend to Indra therein [in his
assembly].
tathaiva+apsaraso rjan gandharv ca manoram |
ntya-vditra-gtai
ca hsyai ca vividhair api |

ramayanti sma npate

devarja atakratum || [3-footed anuubh]

Then O King, the enchanting Apsaras-es and Gandharva-s, by means of various

dances, instrumental and vocal music, and comedies gladden the king of the
gods, the performer of a hundred acts.
stutibhir magalai caiva stuvanta karmabhis tath |
vikramai ca mahtmna vala-vtra-ni
danam ||

brahma-rjaraya sarve sarve devarayas tath |

vimnair vividhair divyair bhrjamnair ivgnibhi ||
sragvio bhit cnye ynti cynti cpare |
bhaspati
ca ukra ca tasym yayatu saha ||

In addition to the above, all the brhmaa sages, the sage-kings and divine
sages, adorned with garlands, come and go in their diverse, flying machines
which blaze forth like celestial fires, praising the great one, the destroyer of
Vala and Vtra,
with auspicious praises, by rituals and acts of valor. Bhaspati

and ukra had gone there together!

ete cnye ca bahavo yattmno yatavrat |
vimnai candra-sa kai somavat priyadaran |
brahmao vacand rjan bhgu
saptarayas tath ||

e sabh may rjan d

pukaramlin |
O king, many other self-restrained souls, firmly observant of ritual vows, Bhgu

and the seven sages [go forth] upon recitation of mantra-s [to Indra] by means
of their moon-shaped flying machines, which are beautiful as moons. O King,
this assembly hall of Indra, the Pukaramlin was [thus] seen by me (i.e.
Nrada).
Notes
1) The motif of an assembly hall of the great Indra-like deity is likely an
ancestral Indo-European one. We encounter it in the Germanic world in the
form Valhalla of Odin or Bilskirnir of Thor; both are described as celestial halls
of enormous size. The meaning of the latter is lightning-streak, which relates it
directly to the hall of Indra. Just as Indras hall endowed with several chambers
(veman), the Bilskirnir is said to have 540 rooms (a number related to the
precession of earths axis), where he is said to hold court with his wife the
goddess Sif (parallel to Indr). Just like Indras realm, Odin vast hall the
Valhalla is said to welcome extraordinary individuals (not the common dead)
who proceed there due their valor in battle. Indeed memorial stones depicting
the ascent of fallen heroes to Valhalla of the Indra-realm, with beckoning
Valkyries or Aparas-es are seen respectively in the Nordic and Indic world. The
Valhalla, like Indras hall, is said have divine trees (Glasir and Lrar are

named in particular) and is said to be shining and golden comparable to the

above account. In the Greek world too Zeus is said to have an assembly hall in
the heavens where all the gods meet with Zeus at the head, much like what is
described in the case of Indras hall (e.g. Illiad 20.5).
2) The Indra-sabh is not just seen as a hall but is conceived more like a
cuboidal space station which can freely move about in space. It also receives
traffic of arriving and departing space-crafts which are said to bear the visiting
sages. Thus, it is conception is a truly celestial and futuristic one relative to
the Greek and Germanic versions which seem more static. This illustrates a
less-appreciated point: space travel has long existed in human thought, well
before the first operational space-crafts were sent up. Thus, it is the continuity
with epic visions such as these, which might be seen as the archetypal
inspiration for human flight and space voyages.
3) Marut-s figure prominently among the gods mentioned in this account. While
the Marut-s had faded in prominence by the time core Mahbharata, this
account clearly preserves the older Vedic system with the troops of Marut-s as
the primary companions of Indra, especially in his battles with the demons.
Importantly, this account uses the term ghamedhin,
i.e. Marut-s as the

recipients of the offerings in the ghamedha

which is part of the larger

skamedha rite, the autumnal ritual in the yearly cturmsya cycle. Most other
Vedic deities are listed with the exception of Yama, Varua, Prajpati, Vi u,
and perhaps Rudra. These were perhaps consciously omitted by the composer
or the redactor of the text because: 1) the first three of these are described as
having their own celestial realms that are described later. 2) Vi u, and Rudra
were probably left out because with their rise in the late Vedic and Epic period
their votaries did not want to see them as being secondary to Indra. However,
it is uncertain if Sthu in the above list stands for Rudra or someone else.
Whatever the case, the above narrative is emphatic in placing Indra as the
supreme deity using terminology parallel to the Rathantara Sman of the Vedic
ritual: na sarvalokasya vajria samupsate.
4) The goddess Indr is identified with r and Lakm following an ancient
pattern. Indra is also said to be accompanied by other goddesses such as the
personified modesty, fame, and majesty, and raddh, Medh and Sarasvat,

who are like the Muses in Zeus court. There are also Gandharva-s and Apsara-s
who provide music, dance and comedy in the court. This music in the sabh
seems to have been an ancient feature for it is paralleled by comparable music
in the court of Zeus in the Olympian realm. For example we have Pindar
describe it thus:
Golden lyre, possession and advocate of Apollo
and the Muses with their violet hair,
the dance step which begins the festivity hear you,
and singers obey your signals
when you quiver and fashion the preludes
of the proems that begin the dance.
You quench even the pointed lightning [of Zeus]
with its ever-flowing fire. On his scepter
the eagle of Zeus sleeps. [Translation by K. A. Morgan]
5) A long list of sages and sage-kings, although anachronistic, stretching from
the ancient Vedic patriarchs to the authors of the Rmyaa are all provided as
a list. This is to illustrate the point that extraordinary individuals upon death
attain the Indra realm, where they engage in his direct worship as they had
done formerly in their earthly fire and soma rituals. This is further emphasized
by pointing out that the normally antipodal Bhaspati
and ukra are seen

together worshiping Indra in line with their Vedic persona, where both sages
are composers of mantra-s to Indra.
6) Several terms specifically refer to the Vedic rituals where Indra reigns
supreme. Some of these represent celestial entities and phenomena: The 27
fires represent the 27 Nakatra-s of the Vedic ecliptic: the deities
corresponding to these receive offerings in the ritual known as the Nakatrei.
Then there are the graha-s, which represent both the cups in which soma is
offered to the gods and the planets. Specifically the pair of cups used in the
great soma ritual are mentioned: ukra and Manthin. These two cups
commemorate a cunning trick by which the Deva-s overthrew anda and Marka,
two partisans of the Asura-s and Raka-s, who tried to steal the Soma. Also
mentioned are the stobha-s, which are magical vocalizations of the Sman
chants (au ho v, i etc).