Deity

Indra

इन्द्र

Also called Indra Dev

verses
20,708
books
37
chapters
5,174
Parent of
Arjuna

What the texts say

In the Mahabharata, a hymn addresses Indra as king and foremost of the gods, and calls him Sahasraksha, the thousand-eyed. Mahabharata 1.21.12 The same epic adds that the Creator fashioned the thunderbolt from the bones of the sage Dadhichi, and that Indra used it to slay Vishvarupa and cut off his heads. Mahabharata 12.329.27 The Rigveda celebrates how Indra struck down the serpent Vritra with his thunderbolt and opened the cavern that held back the waters. Rig Veda 1.32.5, 1.32.11 Its hymns also call Indra the Soma-drinker, and say he was born in full power to drink the pressed Soma. Rig Veda 1.5.6, 1.8.10 The Bhagavata Purana tells that when the cowherds stopped sacrificing to him, Indra sent rain and hail on Gokula, their settlement, and Krishna lifted Govardhana Hill with one hand to shelter them. Bhagavatam 2.7.32, 10.26.25

Where to read

Every verse that names Indra, book by book.

  1. Rig Veda

    3,724 verses · 548 chapters

    All 3,724 verses in the Rig Veda
    • 1.2.4

      Indra aur Vayu, in Soma ke paas aao. Yeh khushi lekar aate hain. Soma ki boondein tumhe bula rahi hain. Aao aur andar ki taakat aur aazaad saans jaga do.

    • 1.3.4

      Indra, tum aao. Tumhari chamak bahut roshni wali hai. Soma ka ras tumhare liye nikala hai. Usse kapde se saaf kiya hai, ab woh bilkul shuddh hai. Tum isko piyo aur shakti pao.

    • 1.4.4

      Aage badh jao, Indra ko dhoondho. Woh bahut taakatwala hai, kabhi hilta nahi. Woh bahut samajhdar hai. Tumhare doston ke liye woh sabse accha gift laata hai. Unka kaam banata hai.

  2. Mahabharata

    3,369 verses · 923 chapters

    All 3,369 verses in the Mahabharata

    Also in the Gita Press edition: 4,478 verses

    • 17.3.1

      Vaishampayan ne kaha. Phir Indra ne aasman aur dharti goonj di. Woh apna rath le kar Arjun ke paas aaye. Unhone kaha, chalo, rath pe baitho.

    • 12.220.12

      Indra devtaon ke raja hai, Airaavat haathi par baitha hai. Saare devta uske aas-paas khade hain. Daitya raja Bali ne use dekha. Lekin woh ghabraya nahi, dukhi bhi nahi hua.

    • 3.51.11

      Usi waqt do bade rishi wahan se chale gaye. Woh dono bahut purane the aur bade log the. Yeh dono Indra ki duniya mein jaane lage.

  3. Skanda Purana

    3,214 verses · 676 chapters

    All 3,214 verses in the Skanda Purana
    • 1.1.17.2

      Phir Indra ne Surabhi ko bulaya. Usne kaha, meri baat suno. Dadhichi ka poora shareer chaat ke saaf kar do.

    • 6.1.206.1

      Vishwamitra ne kaha. Vishnu ne kaha toh Indra bhi Himalaya ke paas gaya. Apne haathi Airavat par baith ke, woh pahad ke raja ke paas pahuncha. Woh pahad jaise upar chadhta hai, waise hi bada dikhta tha.

    • 6.1.269.5

      Suta ne kaha, brahmanon, pehle Indra ne is devta ko yahan sthapit kiya tha. Iska naam Kapaleshwar hai. Yeh brahman hatya ke paap se azaad karne ke liye bada hai.

  4. Padma Purana

    1,444 verses · 340 chapters

    All 1,444 verses in the Padma Purana
    • 1.17.119

      Savitri ko aate dekhkar Indra dar gaya. Brahma ne chehra neeche kar liya, soch raha tha ki yeh mujhse kya kahegi.

    • 1.16.69

      Aap mere liye sabse bade bhagwan ho. Aap hi mere sabse bade guru ho. Aap hi meri sabse badi jagah ho jahan main reh sakun. Indra jaise devata mein bhi aap sabse upar ho.

    • 1.30.4

      Vishnu ne insaanon ki duniya mein kaise pair rakha? Yeh samajhna mushkil hai. Devtas ki duniya mein bhi yeh hua. Indra ke saath saare devtas bhi wahin the.

Also named in

Key chapters

The chapters where Indra matters most.

  1. Adhyāya 3: Indra’s Invitation and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Refusal to Abandon the Dog (Svargārohaṇa Test)

    Mahabharata 17.3 · 23 verses

    Divine inviter and provocateur who presses the boundary between…

  2. Pradoṣa Vrata Procedure and the Vṛtra-Namuci War Narrative

    Skanda Purana 1.1.17 · 111 verses

  3. Glorification of Bālamaṇḍana Tīrtha

    Skanda Purana 6.1.206 · 98 verses

  4. Indra’s Prayers and the Coronation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa as Govinda (Govindābhiṣeka)

    Bhagavatam 10.27 · 19 verses

    The chastened administrator who models aparādha-kṣamā and…

  5. Kapālamocaneśvara: Origin and Glory of the Skull-Release Lord

    Skanda Purana 6.1.269 · 87 verses

  6. Bali-Vāsava Dialogue on Kāla and Steadfastness

    Mahabharata 12.220 · 77 verses

    विजेता देव-राज

  7. Hāṭakeśvara-māhātmya and the Nāga-bila: Indra’s Purification Narrative (हाटकेश्वर-माहात्म्य)

    Skanda Purana 6.1.8 · 68 verses

  8. Jambha-Tāraka Saṅgrāma, Nārāyaṇāstra, and Kāla-Upadeśa (जंभतारकसंग्रामः कालोपदेशश्च)

    Skanda Purana 1.2.21 · 59 verses

  9. Govardhana-dhāraṇa: Kṛṣṇa Lifts Govardhana and Humbles Indra

    Bhagavatam 10.25 · 14 verses

    Antagonist-turned-instrument of instruction

  10. Indra Mahotsava: Institution and Ritual Logic

    Skanda Purana 6.1.207 · 52 verses

Key episodes

  1. The Churning of the Ocean (Samudra Manthan)

    Bhagavatam 8.5-8.10

  2. Vamana and King Bali: The Three Steps

    Bhagavatam 8.15-8.23

  3. Krishna Lifts Govardhana Hill

    Bhagavatam 10.24-10.27

  4. Indra and Virochana Seek the Self

    Chhandogya Upanishad 8.7-8.12

  5. The Yaksha and Uma Haimavati

    Kena Upanishad 3-4

  6. Yudhishthira and the Dog: The Great Departure

    Mahabharata 17.1-17.3

  7. Durga Slays Mahishasura

    Markandeya Purana 82-84

  8. Brahma's Sacrifice at Pushkara and Savitri's Curse

    Padma Purana 1.16-1.17

  9. Indra Slays Vritra and Frees the Waters

    Rig Veda 1.32

  10. Shiva Burns Kama

    Shiva Purana 2.3.17-2.3.21

  11. The Birth of Kartikeya and the Slaying of Taraka

    Shiva Purana 2.4.1-2.4.12

  12. Durvasa's Curse and the Churning of the Ocean (Vishnu Purana)

    Vishnu Purana 1.9

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