Description
We remember Indra as the thunder god, drunk on Soma, power personified. But the Rigveda also preserves something most people don't know: Indra's heartbreaking origin story. Mandala 4 describes how his mother hid him at birth, then abandoned him: "like a young calf who goes unlicked." He wandered alone. In deep distress, he cooked a dog's intestines.
And even after he slew the great serpent Vritra, the texts say fear possessed his heart, he fled like a frightened hawk across ninety-nine rivers. The Rigveda doesn't just celebrate Indra's power. It recognises his flaws. And that's what makes him lovable.
Do it happy, do it sad, do it angry, do it scared.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
VERSES REFERENCED
◈ Indra's mother hid him (RV 4.18.5)
अवद्यम इव मन्यमाना गुहाकर इन्द्रम माता वीर्येणा नयॄष्टम
"Deeming him a reproach, his mother hid him, Indra, endowed with all heroic valour."
◈ Cast away by his mother (RV 4.18.8)
ममच चन तवा युवतिः परास ममच चन तवा कुषवा जगार
"I cast thee from me, mine, thy youthful mother."
◈ The unlicked calf, left to wander (RV 4.18.10)
अरीळ्हं वत्सं चरथाय माता सवयं गातुं तन्व इछमानम
"The Mother left her unlicked Calf to wander, seeking himself, the path that he would follow."
◈ Dog's intestines: Indra's lowest point (RV 4.18.13)
अवर्त्या शुन आन्त्राणि पेचे न देवेषु विविदे मर्डितारम
"In deep distress I cooked a dog's intestines. Among the Gods I found not one to comfort."
◈ Indra slays Vritra (RV 1.32.1)
इन्द्रस्य नु वीर्याणि पर वोचं यानि चकार परथमानि वज्री | अहन्नहिमन्वपस्ततर्द पर वक्षणा अभिनत पर्वतानाम ||
"He slew the Dragon, then disclosed the waters, and cleft the channels of the mountain torrents."
◈ Fear after the kill (RV 1.32.14)
अहेर्यातारं कमपश्य इन्द्र हर्दि यत ते जघ्नुषो भीरगछत नव च यन नवतिं च सरवन्तीः शयेनो न भीतोतरो रजांसि
"That fear possessed thy heart when thou hadst slain him, like a hawk affrighted, thou crossedst nine-and-ninety flowing rivers."
◈ And yet, King of all (RV 1.32.15)
इन्द्रो यातो.अवसितस्य राजा शमस्य च शर्ङगिणो वज्रबाहुः | सेदु राजा कषयति चर्षणीनामरान न नेमिः परि ता बभूव ||
"Indra is King of all that moves and moves not, of creatures tame and horned, the Thunder-wielder."
Translation: Ralph T.H. Griffith
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
#Rigveda #Indra #Vedas #IndianMythology #VedicLiterature #IndraOriginStory #HinduMythology