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(, Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the leader of the Devas and the lord of Svargaloka or heaven in Hinduism. He is the deva of rain and thunderstorms. He wields a lightning thunderbolt known as ''vajra'' and rides on a white elephant known as Airavata. Indra is the most important deity worshiped by the Rigvedic tribes and is the son of Dyaus and the goddess Savasi. His home is situated on Mount Meru in the heaven. He is celebrated as a demiurge who pushes up the sky, releases Ushas (dawn) from the Vala cave, and slays Vṛtra; both latter actions are central to the Soma sacrifice. He is associated with Vajrapani - the Chief Dharmapala or Defender and Protector of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha who embodies the power of the Five Dhyani Buddhas. On the other hand, he also commits many kinds of mischief (kilbiṣa) for which he is sometimes punished. In the Puranas, Indra is bestowed with a heroic and almost brash and amorous character at times, even as his reputation and role diminished in later Hinduism with the rise of the Trimurti. == Etymology == Indra has many epithets notably- * Shakra (शक्र) - powerful one. * Vrishan (वृषन्) - mighty. * Vritrahan (वृत्रहन्) - slayer of Vṛitra. * Meghavahana (मेघवाहन) - he whose cloud is vehicle. * Devaraja (देवराज) - king of deities. * Devendra (देवेन्द्र)- the lord of deities. * Surendra (सुरेन्द्र) - chief of deities. * Svargapati (स्वर्गपति) - the lord of heaven (Svargaloka). * Vajrapani (वज्रपाणि) - he who has thunderbolt (Vajra) in his hand. * Vasava (वासव) - lord of Vasus. Indra appears as the name of a daeva in Zoroastrianism (though 'Indra' can be used in a general sense for a leader, either of devatas or asuras〔for example: daitya-indra-tapasā means Hiraṇyakaśipu - King (or "Indra") of the Daityas, who performed tapasyas to defeat real Indra (leader of devatas, Vedic demigods) (). See also: ()〕), while his epithet, Verethragna, appears as a god of victory. Indra is also called frequently in the Vedas and in Buddhism (Pali: ''Sakka''). He is known in Burmese as , ; in Thai as ''Phra In'', in Khmer as , in Malay as ''Indera'',in Kannada as ''Indra'', in Telugu as ''Indrudu'', in Malayalam as ''Indran'' , in Tamil as ''Inthiran'', Chinese as 帝释天 ''Dìshìtiān'', and in Japanese as ''Taishakuten''.〔''Presidential Address'' W. H. D. Rouse ''Folklore'', Vol. 18, No. 1 (Mar., 1907), pp. 12-23: "King of the Gods is Sakka, or Indra"〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Indra」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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