IDA- In the Rig-veda Ida is primarily food, refreshment, or a libation of milk; thence a stream of praise, personified as the goddess of speech. She is called the instructress of Manu, and frequent passages ascribe to her the first institution of the rules of performing sacrifices. According to Sayana, she is the goddess presiding over the earth. A legend in the Satapatha Brahmana represents her as springing from a sacrifice, which Manu performed for the purpose of obtaining offspring. She was claimed by Mitra-Varuna, but remained faithful to him who had produced her. Manu lived with her, and praying and fasting to obtain offspring, he begat upon her the race of Manu. In the Puranas she is daughter of the Manu Vaivaswata, wife of Budha (Mercury), and mother of Pururavas. The Manu Vaivaswata, before he had sons, instituted a sacrifice to Mitra and Varuna for the purpose of obtaining one; but the officiating priest mismanaged the performance, and the result was the birth of a daughter, Ida or Ila. Through the favour of the two deities her sex was changed, and she became a man, Su-dyumna. Under the malediction of Siva, Su-dyumna was again turned into a woman, and, as Ila, married Budha or Mercury. After she had given birth to Pururavas, she, under the favour of Vishnu, once more became Su-dyumna, and was the father of three sons. According to another version of the legend, the Manu’s eldest son was named Ila. He having trespassed on a grove sacred to Parvati, was changed into a female, Ila. Upon the supplications and prayers of Ila’s friends, Siva and his consort conceded that the offender should be a male one month and a female another. There are other variations in the story, which is apparently ancient.

IDAVIDA Daughter of Trinabindu and the Apsaras Alambusha. There are different statements in the Puranas as regards her. She is represented to be the wife of Visravas and mother of Kuvera, or the wife of Pulastya and mother of Visravas.

IKSHWAKU Son of the Manu Vaivaswat, who was son of Vivaswat, the sun. “He was born from the nostril of the Manu as he happened to sneeze.” Ikshwaku was founder of the Solar race of kings, and reigned in Ayodhya at the beginning of the second Yuga or age. He had a hundred sons, of whom the eldest was Vikukshi. Another son, named Nimi, founded the Mithila dynasty. According to Max Muller the name is mentioned once, and only once, in the Rig-veda. Respecting this he adds: “I take it, not as the name of a king, but as the name of a people, probably the people who inhabited Bhajeratha, the country washed by the northern Ganga or Bhagirathi.” Others place the Ikshwakus in the northwest.

ILA, ILA See Ida.

ILA VILA  See Idavida.

ILVALA See Vatapi.

INDRA The god of the firmament, the personified atmosphere. In the Vedas he stands in the first rank among the gods, but he is not uncreate, and is represented as having a father and mother: “a vigorous god begot him; a heroic female brought him forth.” He is described as being of a ruddy or golden colour, and as having arms of enormous length; “but his forms are endless, and he can assume any shape at will,” He rides in a bright golden car, drawn by two tawny or ruddy horses with flowing manes and tails. His weapon is the thunderbolt, which he carries in his right hand; he also uses arrows, a great hook, and a net, in which he is said to entangle his foes. The soma juice is his especial delight; he takes enormous draughts of it, and stimulated by its exhilarating qualities, he goes forth to war against his foes, and to perform his other duties. As deity of the atmosphere, he governs the weather and dispenses the rain; he sends forth his lightning’s and thunder, and he is continually at war with Vritra or Ahi, the demon of drought and inelement weather, whom he overcome with his thunderbolts, and compels to pour down the rain. Strabo describes the Indians as worshipping Jupiter Pluvius, no doubt meaning Indra, and he has also been compared to Jupiter Tonans. One myth is that of his discovering and rescuing the cows of the priests or of the gods, which had been stolen by an Asura named Pani or Vala, whom he killed, and he is hence called Vala-bhid. He is frequently represented as destroying the “stone-built cities” of the Asuras or atmospheric demons, and of the Dasyus or aborigines of India. In his warfare he is sometimes represented as escorted by troops of Maruts, and attended by his comrade Vishnu. More hymns are addressed to Indra than to any other deity in the Vedas, with the exception of Agni. For he was reverenced in his beneficient character as the bestower of rain and the cause of fertility, and he was feared as the awful ruler of the storm and director of the lightning and thunder. In many places of the Rig-veda the highest divine functions and attributes are ascribed to him. There was a triad of gods – Agni, Vayu, and Surya – which held a pre-eminence above the rest, and Indra frequently took the place of Vayu. In some parts of the Veda, as Dr. Muir remarks, the ideas expressed of Indra are grand  and lofty; at other times he is treated with familiarity, and his devotion to the soma juice is dilated upon, though nothing debasing is perceived in his sensuality. Indra is mentioned as having a wife, and the name of Indrani or Aindri is invoked among the goddesses. In the Satapatha Brahmana she is called Indra’s beloved wife.

        In the later mythology Indra has fallen into the second rank. He is inferior to the triad, but he is the chief of all the other gods. He is the regent of the atmosphere and of the cast quarter of the compass, and he reigns over Swarga, the heaven of the gods and of beatified spirits, which is a region of great magnificence and splendour. He retains many of his Vedic characteristics, and some of them are intensified. He sends the lightning and hurls the thunderbolt, and the rainbow is his bow. He is frequently at war with the Asuras, of whom he lives in constant dread, and by whom he is often worsted. But he slew the demon Vrita, who, being regarded as a Brahman, Indra had to conceal himself and make sacrifice until his guilt was purged away. His continued love for the soma juice is shown by a legend in the Maha-bharata, which represents him as being compelled by the sage Chyavana to allow the Aswins to partake of the soma libations, and his sensuality has now developed into an extreme lasciviousness. Many instances are recorded of his incontinence and adultery, and his example is frequently referred to as an excuse in cases of gallantry, as by King Nahusha when he tried to obtain Indra’s wife while the latter was hiding in Vritra. According to the Maha-bharata he seduced, or endeavoured to seduce, Ahalya, the wife of the sage Gautama, and that sage’s curse impressed upon him a thousand marks resembling the female organ, so he was called Sa-yoni; but these marks were afterwards changed to eyes, and he is hence called Netra-yoni, and Sahasraksha `the thousand-eyed.’ In the Ramayana it is related that Ravana, the Rakshasa king of Lanka or Ceylon, warred against Indra in his own heaven, and that Indra was defeated and carried off to Lanka by Ravana’s son Megha-nada, who for this exploit received the title of Indra-jit (q.v.), `conqueror of Indra.’ Brahma and the gods had to sue for the release of Indra, and to purchase it with the boon of immortality to the victor. Brahma then told the humiliated god that his defeat was a punishment for the seduction of Ahalya. The Taittiriya Brahmana states that the chose Indrani to be his wife in preference to other goddesses because of her voluptuous attractions, and later authorities say that he ravished her, and slew her father, the Daitya Puloman, to escape his curse. Mythologically he was father of Arjuna (q.v.), and for him he cheated Karna of his divine coat of mail, but gave Karna in recompense a javelin of deadly effect. His libertine character is also shown by his frequently sending celestial nymphs to excite the passions of holy men, and to beguile them from the potent penances, which he dreaded.

        In the Puranas many stories are told of him, and he appears especially in rivalry with Krishna. He incurred the wrath of the choleric sage Dur-vasas by slighting a garland of flowers, which that sage presented to him, and so brought upon himself the curse that his whole dominion should be whelmed in ruin. He was utterly defeated by the Daityas, or rather by their ally, Raja, son of Ayus, and grandson of Pururavas, and he was reduced to such a forlorn condition that he, “the god of a hundred sacrifices,” was compelled to beg for a little sacrificial butter. Puffed up by their victory, his conquerors neglected their duties, and so they became the easy prey of Indra, who recovered his dominion. The Bhagavata Purana represents him as having killed a Brahman, and of being haunted by that crime, personified as a Chandali.

        Indra had been an object of worship among the pastoral people of Vraja, but Krishna persuaded them to cease this worship. Indra was greatly enraged at this, and sent a deluge of rain to overwhelm them; but Krishna lifted up the mountain Govardhana on his finger to shelter them, and so held it for seven days, till Indra was baffled and rendered homage to Krishna. Again, when Krishna went to visit Swarga, and was about to carry off the Parijata tree, Indra resented its removal, and a fierce fight ensued, in which Indra was worsted, and the tree was carried off. Among the deeds of Indra recorded in the Puranas is that of the destruction of the offspring of Diti the Puranas is that of the destruction of the offspring of Diti in her womb, and the production there from of the Maruts (See Diti): and there is a story of his cutting off the wings of the mountains with his thunderbolts, because they were refractory and troublesome. Indra is represented as a fair man riding on a white horse or an elephant, and bearing the vajra or thunderbolt in his hand. His son is named Jayanta. Indra is not the object of direct worship, but he receives incidental adoration and there is a festival kept in his honour called Sakra-dhwajot thana, `the raising of the standard of Indra.’

        Indra’s names are many, as Mahendra, Sakra, Maghavan, Ribhuksha, Vasava, Arha, Datteya. His epithets or titles also are numerous. He is Vritra-han, `the destroyer of Vritra;’ Vajra-pani, `of the thunderbolt hand;’ Megha-vahana, `borne upon the clouds;’ Paka-sasana, `the subduer of Paka;’ Sata-kratu, `of a hundred sacrifices;’ Deva-pati and Suradhipa, `chief of the gods;’ Divas-pati, `ruler of the atmosphere;’ Marutwan, `lord of the winds;’ Swarga-pati, `lord of paradise;’ Jishnu, `leader of the celestial host;’ Puran-dara, `destroyer of cities;’ Uluka, `the owl;’ Ugra dhanwan, `of the terrible bow,’ and many others. The heaven of Indra is Swarga; its capital is Amaravati; his palace, Vaijayanta; his garden, Nandana, Kandasara, or Parushya; his elephant is Airavata; his horse, Uchchaiah-sravas; his chariot, Vimana; his charioteer, Matali; his bow, the rainbow, Sakra-dhanus; and his sword, Paran-ja.

INDRA-DYUMNA Son of Su-mati and grandson of Bharata. There were several of the names, among them a king of Avanti, by whom the temple of Vishnu was built, and the image of Jagan-natha was set up in Orissa.

INDRA-JIT Megha-nada, son of Ravana. When Ravana went against Indra’s forces in Swarga, his son Megha-nada accompanied him, and fought most valiantly. Indra himself was obliged to interfere, when Megha-nada, availing himself of the magical power of becoming invisible, which he had obtained from Siva, bound Indra and carried him off to Lanka. The gods, headed by Brahma, went thither to obtain the release of Indra, and Brahma gave to Megha-nada the name Indra-jit, conqueror of Indra.’ Still the victor refused to release his prisoner for anything less than the boon of immortality. Brahma refused, but Indra-jit persisted in his demand and achieved his object. One version of the Ramayana states that Indra-jit was killed and had his head cut off by Lakshmana, who surprised him while he was engaged in a sacrifice.

INDRA-KILA The mountain Mandara.

INDRA-LOKA Indra’s heaven, Swarga. See Loka.

INDRANI Wife of Indra, and mother of Jayanta and Jayanti. She is also called Sachi and Aindri. She is mentioned a few times in the Rig-veda, and is said to be the most fortunate of females, “for her husband shall never die of old age.” The Taittiriya Brahmana states that Indra chose her for his wife from a number of competing goddesses, because she surpassed them all in voluptuous attractions. In the Ramayana and Puranas she appears as the daughter of the Daitya Puloman, from whom she has the patronymic Paulomi. She was ravished by Indra, who killed her father to escape his curse. According to the Maha-bharata, King Nahusha became enamoured of her, and she escaped from him with difficulty. Indrani has never been held in very high esteem as a goddess.

INDRA-PRAMATI An early teacher of the Rig-veda, who received one Sanhita direct from Paila.

INDRA-PRASTHA. The capital city of the Pandu princes. The name is still known, and is used for a part of the city of Delhi.

INDRA-SENA (mas.), INDRA-SENA (fem.) Names of the son and daughter of Nala and Damayanti.

INDU The moon. See Soma.

INDU-MATI Sister of Bhoja, king of Vidarbha, who chose Prince Aja for her husband at her swayam-vara. She was killed by Narada’s garland falling upon her while asleep in an arbour.

INDU-MANI The moon gem. See Chandra-kanta.

IRAVAT A son of Arjuna by his Naga wife Ulupi

IRAVATI The river Ravi or Hydraotes.

ISA `Lord.’ A title of Siva. Name of a Upanishad (q.v.), which has been translated by Dr. Roer in the Bibliotheca Indica.  

ISANA A name of Siva or Rudra, or of one of his manifestations. (See Rudra.) He is guardian of the northeast quarter.

ISHTI-PASAS `Stealers of offerings.’ Rakshasas and other enemies of the gods, who steal the oblations.

ISWARA `Lord.’ A title given to Siva.

ISWARA KRISHNA Author of the philosophical treatise called Sankhya Karika.