Adhyaya 75 — Slaying of Mahishasura
तेषां देवगणानान्तु चतुर्णामपि चेश्चरः ।
नाम्ना विभुरभूदिन्द्रः शतयज्ञोपलक्षकः ॥
teṣāṃ devagaṇānāṃ tu caturṇām api ceśvaraḥ | nāmnā vibhur abhūd indraḥ śatayajñopalakṣakaḥ ||
तेषां चतुर्णां देवगणानां स्वामी विभुरिति नामतः। स इन्द्रः शतयज्ञैश्च विशिष्टः परिकीर्तितः॥
Indra’s ‘office’ is tied to ritual excellence: the epithet ‘marked by a hundred yajñas’ underscores yajña as a public, order-sustaining act rather than mere personal piety.
Manvantara: naming the Indra of the epoch is a required manvantara datum in Purāṇic chronology.
‘Indra’ operates as a cosmic function; the proper name (Vibhū) indicates the same archetypal role manifesting through different individuals across cycles.