June topic: mAyA in the Vedas: Indra

[Guest guest]

advaitin, ken knight <anirvacaniya> wrote:

> --- "V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk> wrote:

> >

> >'idam drAvayati iti indraH' -- the one who

> >pulverises this visible

> >everything.

>

> >This means that 'indra' stands for the Ultimate

> >Supreme Reality. I

> >have many times heard my father say this in his

> >expositions. Though

> >I do not propose that this is the meaning of 'indra'

> >every time the

> >word occurs, I have a feeling that whenever we are

> >at a dead end in

> >interpreting vedic statements, we have to take this

> >into

> >consideration.

>

>

> So, although we began our meeting with Indra when

> considering his mAyA power to appear in many forms we

> can see in the above picture of him in the Rgveda that

> he is central to both the outward and the inward flow.

>

> Hope the above is not too disjointed b ut it has been

> written 'on the hoof' as it were.

>

> Ken KNight

Namaste Kenji and all

The presentation of a multifaceted and multifunctional Indra is so

enlightening. From the Puranas,superficially, I had by and large

developed a prejudiced opinion that he is normally the one that

behaves in a manner not befitting his position. Typical episodes one

recalls are his duplicity with ahalya, attack on Sitaji, immature

challenging of Krishna, incurring sages wrath and suffering a curse

etc. I had also conjured him up as the one at the helm who wants to

hang on to his seat of power at any cost with a great amount of

insecurity and works hard at bringing obstructions in yaga's and

sadhanas.

 

Again, I'd request you to look at these impressions as those of one

who is not very well educated and has not applied adequate thought to

what Indra really represents and has been content with gathering

impressions from episodes.

I further learnt that he is the presiding deity of mind and my mind

being what it is, my perception ( through the mind?) of Indra got

even more badly coloured.I used to feel, rather than seek his co-

operation in my efforts I should probably directly address the lord

in whose light he automatically behaves.

 

However, your detailed exposition has given many new concepts to

think about, ponder and muse on the subject of Indra. Somewhere along

the line one hopes that one's perspective gets better.

 

Many thousand namaskarams to all

Sridhar

[Guest guest]

--- asridhar19 <asridhar19 wrote:

> The presentation of a multifaceted and

> multifunctional Indra is so

> enlightening. From the Puranas,superficially, I had

> by and large

> developed a prejudiced opinion that he is normally

> the one that

> behaves in a manner not befitting his position.

 

 

Namaste Sridhar,

I am not well qualified to pick this one up properly

for you as when I read the Puranas I may enjoy them ,

think 'That's nice,' and then forget all about what I

have read. Whereas when I read Sruti I linger over the

words and delight in them.

Hence when I look to contribute the ideas about Indra

I go to the Rgveda. There we can see, as in my last

posting, the context in which he was first envisaged

and then the Kena Upanishad builds upon that tradition

which ranges from the the closest of stations with the

Supreme Source Itself to the boastful yet humbled

power.

 

If I may advise in the light of your past postings on

the ahaMkAra: please focus on the story of Indra

killing vRtra.

Vrtra, as you know is the asura in the form of the

black serpent (dark monsoon cloud) that holds up the

propitious rainfall...'The darkness withheld the flow

of rain. In vRtra's belly the rain-cloud lay

concealed. But Indra released the flowing of the

water, thus gathered up by vRtra, into the regions

below.' RV.I.54.10

 

Let us place this in the context of our own psyche.

We know well the experience when our mind and heart is

filled with light, the light displaying the hidden

presence of consciousness.

We also know that more frequent condition when it

appears, through delusion, to be without light and

space. Attachment to worries about family, finance,

status in society etc. darken and cloud the

ever-shining Sun, we have a crowd of enemies whom we

wish to quieten. So we speak of 'My problem'.

Suddenly we may glimpse a chance of a solution and act

accordingly and lay the claim, 'I did that well!' as

the energy flows and excitement displays the relief.

That error is what it means when we are told by Sruti

about eating without offering to the gods. If we do

this then the same situation will occur again until we

learn to offer up or dedicate action.

Such a scene is a reflection of Indra's problem, he

can get somewhat puffed up when things are 'going

well'.

He needs to think,

'How did the cloud get there?'

'It was drawn up from the waters.'

'By what?'

'The heat of the Sun.'

That, and the release of the waters, is the harmonious

flow of Rta, it is the manifesting will of Absolute or

Tad Ekam. There is no 'My problem.' It is all the

dharmic unfolding in accordance with the harmony of

Rtam and Satyam.

It is only our claim to a dualistic vision of 'me and

others' that prevents us realising this.

 

To conclude, may we return to the Kena Upanishad where

we find, IV.3, that when Indra has understood that the

'victory was Brahman's' :

'Therefore did Indra excel the other deities. For he

touched it most proximately, inasmuch as he knew it

first as Brahman.'

 

Have a good weekend

 

ken Knight

 

=====

‘From this Supreme Self are all these, indeed, breathed forth.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

advaitin, ken knight <anirvacaniya>

wrote:

>> To conclude, may we return to the Kena Upanishad where

> we find, IV.3, that when Indra has understood that the

> 'victory was Brahman's' :

> 'Therefore did Indra excel the other deities. For he

> touched it most proximately, inasmuch as he knew it

> first as Brahman.'

>

>>

 

Namaste all

 

Yes, Ken-ji, your emphasis on the above quote from Kena Upanishad is

well-placed. The Kanchi Mahaswamigal (The Paramacharya) also, very

often refers to this greatness of Indra. Recall, for example, his

explanation of Shloka 65 in Soundaryalahari, at

 

http://www.geocities.com/profvk/gohitvip/DPDS71-75.html

 

Thanks, Ken-ji, for a wonderful analysis of Indra in the Rg Veda.

You have given us all tons and tons of homework to do. It will take

quite a long time for us to catch up with you, if at all!

 

PraNAms to all students of Rg Veda.

profvk

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk>

wrote:

> advaitin, ken knight <anirvacaniya>

> wrote:

> >> To conclude, may we return to the Kena Upanishad where

> > we find, IV.3, that when Indra has understood that the

> > 'victory was Brahman's' :

> > 'Therefore did Indra excel the other deities. For he

> > touched it most proximately, inasmuch as he knew it

> > first as Brahman.'

> >

>

> Thanks, Ken-ji, for a wonderful analysis of Indra in the Rg Veda.

> You have given us all tons and tons of homework to do. It will take

> quite a long time for us to catch up with you, if at all!

 

Namaste,

 

'One droplet of the Vedic ambrosia is enough to make one not

only taste immortality but swim or drown in its oceanis expanse'.

 

Sri Vasishtha Ganapati Muni, the pre-eminent disciple of

Ramana Maharshi and Vedic scholar (and Guru of Sri Kapali Shastry),

wrote the following [from the Rig Veda]:

 

Indra-sahasra-nama (1000 names of Indra in the Rig Veda, with

no duplicate names!)

 

Indrani-Saptashati (700 verses on Indra's consort)

 

Indra-gitam (dvipada stotra, in Telugu).

 

[Ref.: Bhagavan and Nayana, by S. Shankaranarayanan, 2nd ed. 1997,

Ramanashram.] No details are available about the original

publications.

 

Thank you, Kenji, for leading us to the shores of that

ocean.

 

 

Regards,

 

Sunder