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HinduOfUniverseIndra
Indra is the king of the gods and ruler of the heavens. Indra is the god of thunder and rain and a great warrior, a symbol of courage and strength. Vayu is his friend and servant and the Vasus are his advisers. Indra's mount is the elephant Airavata and he also has a golden chariot drawn by ten thousand horses. Indra is as quick as the wind and carries a hook, sword, conch, noose, a rainbow and the much feared magic weapon Vaijra. His kingdom is situated near Mt. Meru and Indra's love for Amrita (Soma) is legendary. At many times, Indra lost controll over the heavens to the demons. So Indra became always watchful to destroy any man or demon that became too powerful. In the Life of Ganga epic, Indra saw King Sagar triumph over all kings of the Earth. When King Sagar decided to organize an Ashwamedh Yagya (horse sacrifice) that would make him emperor of earth, Indra stole the horse and hid it with Sage Kapila, who later burned Sagar's army to ashes. When hungry young Hanuman sought to devour the Sun, Indra hit him with his Vaijra. This angered the father of Hanuman, until Indra agreed to make Hanuman immortal.
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