all being. Everything is just a particle of this One. “Because taking up fluids with his rays, accompanied by Vāyu, he rains upon the world, he is termed Indra.” 39 Indra is one of the names of the High God. In the system of gods of the
Bṛhaddevatā
, Indra is the name for the manifestation of God in the middle sphere.
In every fight between the Divine and the Demon, between good and bad, between right and unjust, something of the Indra-Vṛtra battle is contained; every saviour is an “Indra” in whatever form he may appear. And in every evil there is a “Vṛtra”; evil appearing in many forms is vanquished by Indra-God in many forms. 40
BRĀHMA Ṇ AS
As a rule, the Vedic interpretation of the Brāhmaṇas is not very inspiring. 41 But certain quite typical features occur. Thus the
Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa
reinterprets the Vedic salvation myth in such a way that the god who performs the saving deed appears less important than the ritual sacrifice in whose service the Brāhmaṇa was composed. Indra is still considered to be the strongest and most powerful god, the chief of gods, identical with sun and fire. But quite revealingly the
Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa
says that he is born from
yajña
(sacrifice) and
vāk
(sacred word), produced by
ṛk
(hymn) and
sāman
(tune). Indra’s greatness is derived from his activity as the great sacrificer, not from his Vṛtra-slaying, which is but a result of sacrificial power. His victory is not due to his prowess and natural strength but to the performance of Vājapeya. The salvific element is not god but
yajña;
it is no longer necessary to pray to Indra for protection. Indra himself depends on the sacrifice, performed by the Brahmans. The motives for the fights among gods and demons are usually to win a share in the sacrifice. This is the highest reward – which Indra wins.
The
Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa
combines with the Vṛtra-slaying another story about the killing of Tvaṣṭṛ’s three-headed son Viśvarūpa. With Soma poured into fire, Tvaṣṭṛ produces Vṛtra “Indra-enemy.” Vṛtra “became possessed of Agni and Soma, of all sciences, all glory, all nourishment, all prosperity, since it grew while rolling onward, it became Vṛtra; since he sprang forth footless, therefore he was a serpent. Danu and Danāyu received him like mother and father whence they call him Dānava.” 42
A
mantra
is supposed to have an infallible effect. Because of a wrong accent however, Vṛtra, instead of being invincible and defeating Indra, became the victim of Indra’s wrath. Vṛtra’s downfall is not due to Indra’s
vajra
but to a transfer of Agni-Soma from Vṛtra to Indra “accompanied by all the gods, all the sciences, all glory, all nourishment, all prosperity.”
UPANI Ṣ ADS
In the Upaniṣads Indra is reinterpreted in accord with the teaching of Vedantic spirituality. Thus the
Kauśītaki Upaniṣad
has a long chapter in which knowledge of Indra is described as the greatest possible boon to men. Indra reveals himself as the slayer of the three-headed son of Tvaṣṭṛ, the deliverer of the Arunmukhas to the wild dogs, the one who transfixed the people of Prahlada in the sky, the Paulomas in the atmosphere, the Kālakāñjas on earth. It is noteworthy that there is no mention of the Vṛtra-fight. For the Upaniṣads “Indra is Truth.” 43 Indra is to be worshiped as
prāṇa
(breath), as
prajñātma
(the self made as wisdom), as
ayus
(life), as
amṛta
(nectar of immortality). To those who “reverence him as life, as immortality, a full term in this world, immortality, indestructibility in the heavenly world” is offered. 44
The Upaniṣads are fond of curious etymologies of Indra: in all of them Indra is ultimately identified with
ātman
and
brahman
. The
Bṛhadār-aṇyaka Upaniṣad
quotes an old etymology: “Indha (the kindler) by name is this person here in the right eye. Him, who is Indha, people call ‘Indra’ cryptically, for the gods are
Bṛhaddevatā
, Indra is the name for the manifestation of God in the middle sphere.
In every fight between the Divine and the Demon, between good and bad, between right and unjust, something of the Indra-Vṛtra battle is contained; every saviour is an “Indra” in whatever form he may appear. And in every evil there is a “Vṛtra”; evil appearing in many forms is vanquished by Indra-God in many forms. 40
BRĀHMA Ṇ AS
As a rule, the Vedic interpretation of the Brāhmaṇas is not very inspiring. 41 But certain quite typical features occur. Thus the
Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa
reinterprets the Vedic salvation myth in such a way that the god who performs the saving deed appears less important than the ritual sacrifice in whose service the Brāhmaṇa was composed. Indra is still considered to be the strongest and most powerful god, the chief of gods, identical with sun and fire. But quite revealingly the
Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa
says that he is born from
yajña
(sacrifice) and
vāk
(sacred word), produced by
ṛk
(hymn) and
sāman
(tune). Indra’s greatness is derived from his activity as the great sacrificer, not from his Vṛtra-slaying, which is but a result of sacrificial power. His victory is not due to his prowess and natural strength but to the performance of Vājapeya. The salvific element is not god but
yajña;
it is no longer necessary to pray to Indra for protection. Indra himself depends on the sacrifice, performed by the Brahmans. The motives for the fights among gods and demons are usually to win a share in the sacrifice. This is the highest reward – which Indra wins.
The
Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa
combines with the Vṛtra-slaying another story about the killing of Tvaṣṭṛ’s three-headed son Viśvarūpa. With Soma poured into fire, Tvaṣṭṛ produces Vṛtra “Indra-enemy.” Vṛtra “became possessed of Agni and Soma, of all sciences, all glory, all nourishment, all prosperity, since it grew while rolling onward, it became Vṛtra; since he sprang forth footless, therefore he was a serpent. Danu and Danāyu received him like mother and father whence they call him Dānava.” 42
A
mantra
is supposed to have an infallible effect. Because of a wrong accent however, Vṛtra, instead of being invincible and defeating Indra, became the victim of Indra’s wrath. Vṛtra’s downfall is not due to Indra’s
vajra
but to a transfer of Agni-Soma from Vṛtra to Indra “accompanied by all the gods, all the sciences, all glory, all nourishment, all prosperity.”
UPANI Ṣ ADS
In the Upaniṣads Indra is reinterpreted in accord with the teaching of Vedantic spirituality. Thus the
Kauśītaki Upaniṣad
has a long chapter in which knowledge of Indra is described as the greatest possible boon to men. Indra reveals himself as the slayer of the three-headed son of Tvaṣṭṛ, the deliverer of the Arunmukhas to the wild dogs, the one who transfixed the people of Prahlada in the sky, the Paulomas in the atmosphere, the Kālakāñjas on earth. It is noteworthy that there is no mention of the Vṛtra-fight. For the Upaniṣads “Indra is Truth.” 43 Indra is to be worshiped as
prāṇa
(breath), as
prajñātma
(the self made as wisdom), as
ayus
(life), as
amṛta
(nectar of immortality). To those who “reverence him as life, as immortality, a full term in this world, immortality, indestructibility in the heavenly world” is offered. 44
The Upaniṣads are fond of curious etymologies of Indra: in all of them Indra is ultimately identified with
ātman
and
brahman
. The
Bṛhadār-aṇyaka Upaniṣad
quotes an old etymology: “Indha (the kindler) by name is this person here in the right eye. Him, who is Indha, people call ‘Indra’ cryptically, for the gods are
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