Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 79, Shloka 5
Adhyaya 79 — The Vaivasvata Manvantara: Classes of Devas, the Seven Sages, and Manu’s Nine Sons
सर्वे ते त्रिदशेन्द्रास्तु विज्ञेयास्तुल्यलक्षणाः ।
सहस्राक्षाः कुलिशिनः सर्व एव पुरन्दराः ॥
sarve te tridaśendrās tu vijñeyās tulya-lakṣaṇāḥ | sahasrākṣāḥ kuliśinaḥ sarva eva purandarāḥ ||
देवताओं के वे सभी इन्द्र समान लक्षणों वाले जानने चाहिए—सहस्रनेत्र, वज्रधारी, और सभी ‘पुरन्दर’ अर्थात् दुर्ग-विध्वंसक।
FAQs
Power is legitimized by protection: Indra’s epithets portray vigilance (many eyes) and decisive action (vajra), implying that leadership must be alert and capable of removing obstacles to order.
Manvantara: it generalizes the characteristics of the Indra-role across successive ages, reinforcing cyclical governance.
‘Thousand-eyed’ can indicate expanded awareness; the vajra symbolizes unbreakable discernment—spiritual sovereignty as clarity that shatters ignorance’s ‘fortresses’.