English
' Brahma and the gods had to sue for the release of Indira, and to purchase it with the boon of immortality to the victor. Brahma then told the humihated god that his defeat was a punishment for the seduction of Ahalya. The Taittiriya Brahma?ia states that he chose Indram to be his wife in preference to other goddesses because of her 126 INDRA. voluptuous attractions, and later authorities say tliat he ravished her, and slew her father, the Daitja Puloman, to escape his curse. Mythologically he was father of Arjuna (q.v.), and for him he cheated Kar?ia of his divine coat of mail, but gave Kama in recompense a javelin of deadly effect. His libertine character is also shown by his frequently sending celestial nymphs to excite the passions of holy men, and to beguile them from the potent penances which he dreaded. In the Pura/zas many stories are told of him, and he appears especially in rivalry with K?*ish72a. He incurred the wrath of the choleric sage Dur-vasas by slighting a garland of flowers which that sage presented to him, and so brought upon himself the curse that his whole dominion should be whelmed in ruin. He was utterly defeated by the Daityas, or rather by their ally, Eaja, son of Ayus, and grandson of Pururavas, and he was reduced to such a forlorn condition that he, " the god of a hun- dred sacrifices," was compelled to beg for a little sacrificial butter. Puffed up by their victory, his conquerors neglected their duties, and so they became the easy prey of Indra, who recovered his dominion. The Bhagavata Pura/ia represents him as having killed a Brahman, and of being haunted by that crime, personified as a Chawc?ali. Indra had been an object of worship among the pastoral people of Yraja, but Krislma persuaded them to cease this worship. Indra was greatly enraged at this, and sent a deluge of rain to overwhelm them; but K?'ish?2a lifted up the mountain Govardhana on his finger to shelter them, and so held it for seven days, till Indra was baffled and rendered homage to K?'ishwa. Again, when Kr/shwa went to visit Swarga, and was about to carry off the Parijata tree, Indra resented its removal, and a fierce fight ensued, in which Indra was worsted, and the tree was carried off. Among the deeds of Indra recorded in the Purawas is that of the destruction of the offspring of Diti in her womb, and the production therefrom of the Maruts (see Diti) ; and there is a story of his cutting off the wings of the mountains with his thunderl^olts, because they were refractory and troublesome. Indra is represented as a fair man riding on a white horse or an elephant, and bearing the vajra or thunder- bolt in his hand. His son is named Jayanta. Indra is not the object of direct worship, but he receives incidental adoration, INDRA-D YUMNA —INDRANL 127 and there is a festival kej)t in liis honour called iS'akra-dhwajot- thana, ' the raising of the standard of Indra.' Indra's names are many, as Mahendra, ^akra, Maghavan, i^ibhuksha, Yasava, Arha, Datteya. His epithets or titles also are numerous. He is V?"itra-han, ' the destroyer of Yritra ; ' Vajra-pawi, ' of the thunderbolt hand ; ' Megha-vahana, ' borne upon the clouds ; ' Paka-sasana, * the subduer of Paka ; ' *Sata-kratu, ' of a hundred sacrifices ; ' Deva-pati and Sura- dhipa, ' chief of the gods ; ' Divas-pati, ' ruler of the atmosphere ; ' Marutwan, ' lord of the winds ; ' Swarga-pati, ' lord of paradise ; ' Jishmi, ' leader of the celestial host ; ' Puran-dara, ' destroyer of cities ; ' Uluka, ' the owl ; ' IJgra- dhauAvan, ' of the terrible bow,' and many others. The heaven of Indra is Swarga; its capital is Amaravati; his palace, Yaija- yanta ; his garden, ISTandana, Kandasara, or Parushya ; his elephant is Airiivata ; his horse, Uchchai/t-sravas ; his chariot, Yimana ; his charioteer, Matali ; his bow, the rainbow, ^Sakra- dlianus ; and his sword, Paran-ja. INDEA-D YUMNA. Son of Su-mati and grandson of Bharata. There were several of the name, among them a king of Avanti, by whom the temple of Yishym was built, and the image of Jagan-natha was set up in Orissa. INDEA-JIT. Megha-nada, son of Ravawa. When Rava?za went against Indra's forces in Swarga, his son Megha-nada accompanied him, and fought most A^aliantly. Indra himself was obliged to interfere, when Megha-nada, availing himself of the magical power of becoming invisible, which he had obtained from ^Siva, bound Indra and carried him off to Lanka. The gods, headed by Brahma, went thither to obtain the release of Indra, and Brahma gave to Megha-nada the name Indra-jit, 'conqueror of Indra.' Still the victor refused to release his pri- soner for anything less than the boon of immortality. Brahma refused, but Indra-jit persisted in his demand and achieved his object. One version of the Ramaya?ia states that Indra-jit was killed and had his head cut off by Lakshma?ia, who surprised him while he was engaged in a sacrifice. INDRA-KlLA. The mountain Mandara. INDRA-LOKA. Indra's heaven, Swarga. See, Loka. INDRAiVI. Wife of Indra, and mother of Javanta and Jayanti. She is also called ^achl and Aindrl. She is men- 128 IXDRA-PRAMATI—yABALL tioned a few times in the it/g-veda, and is said to be the most fortunate of females, " for her husband shall never die of old age." The Taittiriya Brahma?ia states that Indra chose her for his wife from a number of competing goddesses, because she surpassed them all in voluptuous attractions. In the Ramayawa and Purawas she appears as the daughter of the Daitya Puloman, from whom she has the patronymic Paulomi. She was ravished by Indra, who killed her father to escape his curse. According to the Maha-bharata, King Xahusha became enamoured of her, and she escaped from him with difficulty. Indra/zi has never been held in very high esteem as a goddess. INDRA-PRAMATI. An early teacher of the i?/g-veda, who received one Sanhita direct from Paila. INDRA-PRASTHA. The capital city of the Pa7ic?u princes. The name is still known, and is used for a part of the city of DeDii. IXDRA-SENA (mas.), INDRA-SENA (fem.). K'ames of the son and daughter of Xala and Damayanti. INDU. The moon. See Soma. INDU-MATl Sister of Bhoja, king of Yidarbha, who chose Prince Aja for her husband at her sway am- vara. She was killed by Narada's garland falling upon her while asleep in an arbour. IISrDU-MAiVI. The moon gem. See Chandra-kanta, IRAYAT. A son of Arjuna by his ISTaga wife Ulupi. IRA V ATI. The river Ra-vl or Hydraotes. ISA. 'Lord.' A title of /S'iva. jSTame of a Upanishad (q.v.) which has been translated by Dr. Roer in the Bihliotlieca Indica. ISA^A. A name of Siysl or Rudra, or of one of his manifes- tations. (See Rudra.) He is guardian of the north-east quarter. ISHTI-PAaSAS. 'Stealers of offerings.' Rakshasas and other enemies of the gods, who steal the oblations. LSWARA. ' Lord.' A title given to Siva. LS'WARA Kit/SIIiVA. Author of the philosophical treatise called Sankhya Karika. ITIIIASAS. Legendary poems. Heroic history. " Stories like those of Urvasi and Puriiravas." The term is especially applied to the Maha-bharata. JABALI, JAYALI. A Brahman who was priest of King JA GA D-D HA TRI—JA HNU. 1 29 Dasa-ratlia, and held sceptical pliilosopliical opinions. He is represented in the Eaniaya?ia as enforcing his views upon Rama, •vvho decidedly repudiated them. Thereupon he asserted that his atheistical arguments had been used only for a purpose, and that he was really imbued with sentiments of piety and religion. He is said to have been a logician, so probably lie belonged to the Nyaya school JAGAD-DHATi^/ (DHATA). ' Sustainer of the world.' An epithet given to both Saraswati and Durga. JAGAN-MATi^J (MATA). ' Mother of the world.' One of the names of /S'iva's wife. Bee Devi. JAGAN-NATHA 'Lord of the world.' A particular form of yish?iu, or rather of Knshwa. He is w^orshipped in Bengal and other parts of India, but Puri, near the town of Cuttack, in Orissa, is the great seat of his worship, and multitudes of pil- grims resort thither from all parts, especially to the two great festivals of the Snana-yatra and Katha-yatra, in the months of Jyaish/ha and Ashaiiha. The first of these is when the image is bathed, and in the second, or car festival, the image is brought out upon a car with the images of his brother Bala-rama and sister Su-bhadra, and is drawn by the devotees. The legend of the origin of Jagan-natha is peculiar. K?