|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
Indra
IndraIndra was the ruler of the gods in early Hinduism. The son of the sky and the earth, he is a warrior god who protects people and animals and provides rain to water the land. In later Hindu texts Indra loses some of his power and his warrior characteristics. Other deities, such as Vishnu*, take his place as defender of gods and humans, while Indra continues to serve as the god of rain. Indra appears as a central figure in the Rig-Veda, an ancient Indian religious text, and its many stories involve Indra's fights with demons. In a famous myth, he faces a demon named Vritra, sometimes described as a dragon or serpent. Vritra had taken all the waters of the earth and placed them in a mountain where he remained on guard. In the devastating drought that followed, the people suffered greatly from thirst and famine. Indra decided to fight Vritra and rescue the waters from captivity. To prepare for battle, Indra drank a large quantity of an intoxicating beverage called soma that gave him enormous strength. Then he stormed the mountain and delivered a deadly wound to the demon with his thunderbolt. Vritra's death released the waters, which flowed down from the mountain to revive the people and the countryside. Some sources suggest that Indra's defeat of Vritra takes place again whenever strong winds and rains, such as those associated with a monsoon, arrive after a seasonal drought. Legends about Indra describe him as riding either in a golden chariot pulled by two horses or mounted on a white elephant named Airavata. In addition to rainfall, a rainbow or the sound of a gathering storm indicates that he is present. See also Hinduism and Mythology; Rig-Veda; Vishnu. deity god or goddess * See Names and Places at the end of this volume for further information. |
|
|
Cite this article
"Indra." Myths and Legends of the World. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Indra." Myths and Legends of the World. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3490900262.html "Indra." Myths and Legends of the World. 2001. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3490900262.html |
|
Indra
Indra. Supreme God of the Indo-Āryans, to whom (except for Agni) more hymns are addressed in the Ṛg Veda than to any other. He is the dispenser of rain and source of fruitfulness, who is himself sustained by vast quantities of soma. His strength is represented by his thunderbolt (vajra). He is found also in Jain and Buddhist mythology (as Sakka).
|
|
|
Cite this article
JOHN BOWKER. "Indra." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Indra." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Indra.html JOHN BOWKER. "Indra." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Indra.html |
|
Indra
Indra ♂ (Indian) Etymology uncertain; probably from a Sanskrit compound meaning ‘possessing drops (of rain)’. Indra is the name of the god of the sky and lord of the rain, who conquers the demons of darkness by using his thunderbolt. Indra is now found mainly in compound names such as Inderjit and Jaswinder.
|
|
|
Cite this article
PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Indra." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Indra." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Indra.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Indra." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Indra.html |
|
Indra
|
|
|
Cite this article
DAMIEN KEOWN. "Indra." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. DAMIEN KEOWN. "Indra." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-Indra.html DAMIEN KEOWN. "Indra." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-Indra.html |
|
Indra
Indra in Hinduism, the warrior king of the heavens, god of war and storm, to whom many of the prayers in the Rig Veda are addressed. His weapons are the thunderbolt and lightning, his helpers are the Maruts. His role in later Hinduism is small.
|
|
|
Cite this article
ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Indra." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Indra." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Indra.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Indra." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Indra.html |
|
Indra
|
|
|
Cite this article
"Indra." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Indra." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Indra.html "Indra." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Indra.html |
|
Indra
Indra : see Veda . |
|
|
Cite this article
"Indra." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Indra." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-Indra.html "Indra." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-Indra.html |
|
Indra
Indra •airer, bearer, carer, Clara, darer, declarer, Demerara, Éire, habanera, Halmahera, parer, Perak, primavera, repairer, Rivera, Riviera, Sarah, scarer, sharer, snarer, sparer, squarer, starer, swearer, tearer, wearer
•cause célèbre • torch-bearer
•swordbearer • pallbearer • wayfarer
•seafarer • capoeira • Phaedra
•sacra, simulacra
•Libra, vers libre
•ex cathedra
•chypre, Ypres
•palaestra (US palestra) • urethra
•joie de vivre
•mirror, sirrah
•Coimbra • Middlesbrough • Indra
•Sintra
•aspidistra, sistra
•algebra • orchestra • vertebra
•Beira, Fujairah, Hegira, Lyra, Myra, naira, palmyra, spirogyra
•Hydra • Lycra
•begorra, Gomorrah, horror
•double entendre • genre • amour propre • Le Nôtre • contra
•Cosa Nostra, rostra
|
|
|
Cite this article
"Indra." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Indra." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Indra.html "Indra." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Indra.html |
|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries:
HighBeam™ Research, Inc. © Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
The Encyclopedia.com advertising network includes:
