ABSTRACT
Once upon a time there was a god called Indra (‘King’) or Śakra (‘Mighty’). He was the king of the gods, though the frequent threats from rival gods, demons and ascetics made him wonder how long that might be the case. He liked to get involved in human life: He helped his son Arjuna win the great war recorded in the Mahābhārata, and he lent his chariot and divine charioteer to Rāma in his battle against the demon Rāvaṇa. He worked closely with the god Brahmā, assisting and honouring buddhas and jinas, but tended to be more suspicious of Viṣṇu and Kṛṣṇa, whom he saw as a threat. He conversed with great kings such as the famous renouncing royals of Videha, and with Jain, Buddhist and Hindu teachers. He tested the virtue and commitment of humans, and he offered rewards and protection to those he deemed worthy. Some considered him to be rather violent and a little too susceptible to the charms of women or the pleasures of intoxication, but many relied upon him for fertility and the rains.
