Editing Indra (section)

== Etymology and nomenclature ==
[[File:031 Riding a Horse (33651796566).jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|Indra on his elephant, guarding the entrance of the 1st century BCE Buddhist Cave 19 at [[Bhaja Caves]] (Maharashtra).<ref>{{cite book|author1=Sita Pieris|author2=Ellen Raven|title=ABIA: South and Southeast Asian Art and Archaeology Index: Volume Three – South Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fCL8pjd0JVMC&pg=PA232|year=2010|publisher=BRILL Academic|isbn=978-90-04-19148-8|page=232}}</ref>]]
The etymological roots of Indra are unclear, and it has been a contested topic among scholars since the 19th-century, one with many proposals.<ref name="Müller1903p395">{{cite book|author=Friedrich Max Müller|title=Anthropological Religion: The Gifford Lectures Delivered Before the University of Glasgow in 1891 |url= https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.154287 |year= 1903|publisher=Longmans Green|pages=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.154287/page/n421 395]–398}}</ref><ref name=Chakravarty-1995>{{cite journal |author=Chakravarty, Uma |year=1995 |title=On the etymology of the word Í{{sc|NDRA}} |journal=Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute |volume=76 |number=1–4 |pages=27–33 |jstor=41694367}}</ref> The significant proposals have been:
* root ''ind-u'', or "spirit", based on the Vedic mythology that he conquered rain and brought it down to earth.<ref name="Daniélou1991p108">{{cite book |author=Alain Daniélou |title=The Myths and Gods of India: The Classic Work on Hindu Polytheism from the Princeton Bollingen Series|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1HMXN9h6WX0C&pg=PA108 |year=1991 |publisher=Inner Traditions|isbn=978-0-89281-354-4|pages=108–109}}</ref><ref name="Müller1903p395"/>
*root ''ind'', or "equipped with great power". This was proposed by Vopadeva.<ref name="Daniélou1991p108"/>
* root ''idh'' or "spirit", and ''ina'' or "strong".<ref name="Griswold1971p177">{{cite book|author=Hervey De Witt Griswold|title=The Religion of the Ṛigveda|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vhkt5K1fw2wC&pg=PA177 |year=1971|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=978-81-208-0745-7|pages=177–178 with footnote 1}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=Edward Delavan Perry |jstor=592191|title=Indra in the Rig-Veda |journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society| volume= 11 |year=1885 |page=121|doi=10.2307/592191}}</ref>
* root ''indha'', or "igniter", for his ability to bring light and power (''indriya'') that ignites the vital forces of life (''prana''). This is based on [[Shatapatha Brahmana]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Annette Wilke|author2=Oliver Moebus|title=Sound and Communication: An Aesthetic Cultural History of Sanskrit Hinduism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9wmYz_OtZ_gC |year=2011|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=978-3-11-024003-0|pages=418 with footnote 148}}</ref>
*root ''idam-dra'', or "It seeing" which is a reference to the one who first perceived the self-sufficient metaphysical [[Brahman]]. This is based on [[Aitareya Upanishad]].<ref name="Daniélou1991p108"/>
* roots in ancient Indo-European, Indo-Aryan deities.<ref name="Colarusso329">{{cite book|author=John Colarusso|title=Nart Sagas from the Caucasus: Myths and Legends from the Circassians, Abazas, Abkhaz, and Ubykhs |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BaE5BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA329 |year=2014|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-1-4008-6528-4|page=329}}</ref> For example, states [[John Colarusso]], as a reflex of [[proto-Indo-European]] ''*h₂nḗr-'', Greek ''anēr'', [[Sabine]] ''nerō'', [[Avestan]] ''nar-'', [[Umbrian]] ''nerus'', [[Old Irish]] ''nert'', [[Pashto]] ''nər'', [[Ossetic]] ''nart'', and others which all refer to "most manly" or "hero".<ref name="Colarusso329"/>
* roots in ancient [[Proto-Uralic religion|Proto-Uralic paganism]], possibly coming from the old [[Uralic people|Uralic]] sky-god [[Ilmarinen]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Merimaa |first=Juha |date=2019-12-13 |title=Suomen kieleen on tullut vaikutteita yllättävästä suunnasta – moni sana on jäänne kohtaamisista indoiranilaisten kanssa |url=https://www.hs.fi/tiede/art-2000006341234.html?share=eee2d51a4958b583aa9dc830349ccf77 |access-date=2024-11-10 |website=Helsingin Sanomat |language=fi}}</ref>

Colonial era scholarship proposed that Indra shares etymological roots with [[Avestan]] ''Andra'', [[Old High German]] ''*antra'' ("giant"), or [[Old Church Slavonic]] ''jedru'' ("strong"), but [[Max Muller]] critiqued these proposals as untenable.<ref name="Müller1903p395"/><ref>{{cite book |author=Winn, Shan M.M. |year=1995 |title=Heaven, Heroes, and Happiness: The Indo-European roots of Western ideology |publisher=University Press of America |isbn=978-0-8191-9860-0 |page=371, note&nbsp;1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-UCU0I918bsC&pg=PA371}}</ref> Later scholarship has linked Vedic Indra to ''Aynar'' (the Great One) of Circassian, Abaza and Ubykh mythology, and ''Innara'' of Hittite mythology.<ref name="Colarusso329"/><ref>{{cite book |author=Chakraborty, Uma |year=1997 |title=Indra and Other Vedic Deities: A euhemeristic study |publisher=DK Printworld |isbn=978-81-246-0080-1 |pages=91, 220 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ooDXAAAAMAAJ}}</ref> Colarusso suggests a Pontic{{efn|The ''Pontic'' is the region near the [[Black Sea]].}} origin and that both the phonology and the context of Indra in Indian religions is best explained from Indo-Aryan roots and a [[Circassians|Circassian]] etymology (i.e. ''*inra'').<ref name="Colarusso329"/> Modern scholarship suggests the name originated at the [[Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex]] where the Aryans lived before settling in India.

=== Other languages ===
In other languages, he is also known as
{{div col begin|colwidth=12em}}
* [[Askunu language|Ashkun]]: ''Indra''
* [[Bengali language|Bengali]]: {{lang|bn|ইন্দ্র}} (''Indro'')
* [[Burmese language|Burmese]]: {{lang|my|သိကြားမင်း}} ({{IPA|my|ðədʑá mɪ́ɰ̃|}})
* [[Chinese language|Chinese]]: 因陀羅 (''Yīntuóluó'') or 帝釋天 (''Dìshìtiān'')
* [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]]/[[Malay language|Malay]]: (''Indera'')
* [[Japanese language|Japanese]]: {{lang|ja|帝釈天}} (''[[Taishakuten]]'').<ref>''Presidential Address'' W. H. D. Rouse ''Folklore'', Vol. 18, No. 1 (Mar., 1907), pp. 12-23: "King of the Gods is Sakka, or Indra"</ref>
* [[Javanese language|Javanese]]: {{lang|jv|ꦧꦛꦫꦲꦶꦤ꧀ꦢꦿ}} (''Bathara Indra'')
* [[Kamkata-vari language|Kamkata-vari]]: ''Inra''
* [[Kannada language|Kannada]]: {{lang|kn|ಇಂದ್ರ}} (''Indra'')
* [[Khmer language|Khmer]]: {{lang|km|ព្រះឥន្ទ្រ}} (''Preah In'' {{IPA|km|preah ʔən|pron}})
* [[Korean language|Korean]]: {{lang|ko|제석천}} (''Jeseokcheon'')

* [[Northern Thai|Lanna]]: {{lang|nod|ᩍᨶ᩠ᨴᩣ}} (''Intha'') or {{lang|nod|ᨻᩕ᩠ᨿᩣᩍᨶ᩠ᨴ᩼}} (''Pha Nya In'')
* [[Lao language|Lao]]: {{lang|lo|ພະອິນ}} (''Pha In'') or {{lang|lo|ພະຍາອິນ}} (''Pha Nya In'')
* [[Malayalam language|Malayalam]]: {{lang|ml|ഇന്ദ്രൻ}} (''Indran'')
* [[Mon language|Mon]]: {{lang|mnw|ဣန်}} (''In'')
* [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]]: {{lang|mn|Индра}} (Indra)
* [[Odia language|Odia]]: {{lang|or|ଇନ୍ଦ୍ର}} (''Indrô'')
* [[Vasi-vari|Prasun]]: ''Indr''
* [[Sinhala language|Sinhala]]: {{lang|si|ඉඳු}} (''In̆du'') or {{lang|si|ඉන්ද්‍ර}} (''Indra'')
* [[Tai Lue language|Tai Lue]]: {{lang|khb|ᦀᦲᧃ}} (''In'') or {{lang|khb|ᦘᦍᦱᦀᦲᧃ}} (''Pha Ya In'')
* [[Tamil language|Tamil]]: {{lang|ta|இந்திரன்}} (''Inthiran'')
* [[Telugu language|Telugu]]: {{lang|te|ఇంద్రుడు}} (''Indrudu'' or ''Indra'')
* [[Classical Tibetan|Tibetan]]: དབང་པོ་ (''dbang po'')
* [[Thai language|Thai]]: {{lang|th|พระอินทร์}} (''Phra In'')
* [[Kalasha-ala|Waigali]]: ''Indr''
{{div col end}}

===Epithets===
Indra has many epithets in the Indian religions, notably
[[Śakra (Buddhism)|Śakra]] (शक्र, powerful one),

{{div col begin|colwidth=15em}}
* Vṛṣan (वृषन्, mighty)
* Vṛtrahan (वृत्रहन्, slayer of [[Vritra|Vṛtra]])
* Meghavāhana (मेघवाहन, he whose vehicle is cloud)
* Devarāja (देवराज, king of deities)
* Devendra (देवेन्द्र, the lord of deities){{sfn|Wilkings|2001|p=53}}
* Surendra (सुरेन्द्र, chief of deities)
* Svargapati (स्वर्गपति, the lord of heaven)
*Śatakratu (शतक्रतु one who performs 100 sacrifices).
* Vajrapāṇī (वज्रपाणि, wielder of Vajra, i.e., thunderbolt)
* Vāsava (वासव, lord of Vasus)
* Purandara (पुरंदर, the breaker of forts)
* [[Kaushik]]a (कौशिक, [[Vishvamitra]] was born as the embodiment of Indra)
* Shachin or Shachindra (शचीन, the consort of Shachi).
{{div col end}}
*[[Parjanya]] (पर्जन्य, Rain)