Narayana
No, Indra as devata, is not declared as Brahman anywhere. Indra, when regarded in the context of Devaraja, does not hold the position of the ultimate deity within the Vedas. Thus, the notion of him being portrayed as the supreme being by the Vedas' foremost authority is not sustainable. In Vedic literature, Indra is distinctly portrayed as a subordinate deity and a devata, whose status was conferred upon him by the Supreme Being, Lord Vishnu. Yajur veda points out towards the Inferiority of Indra Over Śrī Hari, with the latter protecting the former :
viśvakarman haviṣā vardhanena trātāram indram akṛṇor avadhyam
~ Taittirīya Samhita 4.6.2
Visvakarma suktam being a Hymn to Lord Vishnu, is supported by the Fact of it’s Mantras repeating in The Narayana Atharvasirsam, LakshmiNarayana samhita and a Visnu sukta of Atharva Ved’s Pippalada’s Shakha. As per Tandya MahaBrahmana too, Indra failed to Control the pashus, along with other gods, while It was Śrīmannārāyaṇa in the form of Vaman, who did it. The Paingini rahasya Brahman of Rig veda mentions how Vishnu created indra :
vishve hirańyagarbho agniryamo varuńarudrendrāh
Narayana Atharvasirsa upanishads declares Śrīmannārāyaṇa, to be the goal of all Gods, including Indra :
tvameva brahmeśānapurandarapurogamairakhilāmarairakhilāgamairvimṛgyaḥ
~ Narayana Atharvasirsam 1.1
Rig veda samhita explicitly mentions How All Gods, including Devraj indra, obeys the Order of Lord Vishnu :
na yasyendro varuṇo na mitro vratam aryamā na minanti rudraḥ
~ Rig Veda 2.38.9
Vishnu indeed is the deity of the Solar orb and i will deal with this matter in a separate post. The skambha sukta of Atharvaveda mentions how All the 33 deities (including Indra) are contained in the Body/Form of The Supreme being :
yásya tráyastriṃśad devā áṅge sárve samāhitāḥ
~ Atharva Veda 10.7.13
Again we have The Nrisimha Tapniye Upanishad, which mentions how Indra and other Gods perform their duties, out of the fear of Vishnu :
bhīṣā'smādagniścendraśca mṛtyurdhāvati pañcama iti tasmāducyate bhīṣaṇamit
i
~ Nrisimha Tapniye Upanishad
Also, Not to forget the Fact that Purusha sukta clearly mentions the Birth of Indra deva from Śrīman Nārāyaṇa. There are many more points that can be used to Refute the notion of Indra supremacy, but This much is enough for the time being.
But then, what about those countless suktas, where Indra is hailed as the Lord? Where even Vishnu is hailed as his subordinate? The Upanishad says :
tasmādidandro nāmedandro ha vai nāma| tamidandraṃ santamiṃdra ityācakṣate parokṣeṇa| parokṣapriyā iva hi devāḥ parokṣapriyā iva hi devāḥ ||
Therefore is He Indra; for Indra is the true name of Him. But though He is Idandra, they call Him Indra because of the veil of the Unrevelation; for the gods love the veil of the Unrevelation, yea, verily, the gods love the Unrevelation.
~ Aitareyopaniṣad
Further, the Sathpath Brahmana of Yajur veda says :
This same vital air in the midst doubtless is Indra. He, by his power (indriya), kindled those (other) vital airs from the midst; and inasmuch as he kindled (indh), he is the kindler (indha): the kindler indeed,-- him they call 'Indra' mystically (esoterically), for the gods love the mystic.
~ Sathpath Brahmana 6.1.1.5
Therefore, Indra is nothing more than a name, assigned to the supreme reality, out of the Factor of Unrevelation and has got nothing to do with the ruler of Swarga lokam. The Sruti says :
ekaṃ sad viprā bahudhā vadanty agniṃ yamam mātariśvānam āhuḥ
~ Rig veda 1.164.46
I.e all these names like Agni, Indra etc are actually various names of one single personality, one single Supreme Being. The Taittirīya Samhita and Rig vedic Visvakarma suktam mentions How the Supreme being is the name giver to All Gods
yo devānāṃ nāmadhā eka eva taꣳ sampraśnam bhuvanā yanty anyā
The Sukta praises Lord Vishnu and the reason has been mentioned Beforehand. The Atharva veda and Rig Veda also mention how all Gods have their base in the Highest Reality :
ṛco akṣare parame vyomanyasmindevā
~ Atharva Veda 9.10.18/Rig veda 1.164
The exact same Mantra is found in Nrisimha tapniye Upanishad 6.9, which again proves the Fact that Śrīman Nārāyaṇa is indeed the deity of the concerned scenario, the one who is the Beholder of all names. Further we have the following pramans, which prove that Vishnu is the beholder of Countless names, subject of all and the one who assigns them :
yasminnasaṅkhyeyaviśeṣanāma rūpākṛtau
O lady, your son Krishna has numerous names and forms.
~ Śrīmadbhāgavata 10.8.15
vāsudevaṃ tathā viṣṇumātmānaṃ ca tathā viduḥ | saṃjñābhedaiḥ sa evaiḥ sarvaśāstrābhisaṃskṛtaḥ
He is called Vasudeva, Vişnu Atma. By this is clear that Nārāyaṇa alone is the subject of all scriptures.
~ Mahabharata 13.12
4
nāmabhedena sarvatra saṃsthitaḥ parameśvaraḥ
Parameśvara alone is established everywhere by various name
s
~ Varaha Puran 57.18
sūryasyāntargataṃ sūkṣmaṃ viṣṇuṃ divyaṃ nirañjanam | paryāyaiśca tathā cānyaiḥ śāstrebhyaḥ saṃpragīyate
The subtle, divine, and pure Vishnu, who resides within the sun, is also celebrated through various names in the scriptures
~ bṛhadyogiyājñavalkya smṛiti 1.16
Vishnu gave away names to all Gods :
nādādvīraḥ keśavādīni kanye svakaṃ puraṃ pravihāyaiva rājā evaṃ mayoktaṃ kanyake sarvametadetatparaṃ samyagārohaṇīyam 45 ||
Brahma, etc. are the names of Visnu which he himself had given to the gods. The wise lord did not transfer some of his names such as Kesava, just as a king, when he leaves the capital does not relinquish his title or pass it on to another.
~ G
aruda Puran 3.24.45
yajñeśaṃ yajñapuruṣaṃ kecidicchanti tatparaṃ | kecidviṣṇuṃ haraṃ kecit kecid brahmāṇamīśvaraṃ indrādināmabhiḥ kecit sūryyaṃ somañca kālakam brahmādistambhaparyantaṃ jagadviṣṇuṃ vadanti ca sa viṣṇuḥ paramaṃ brahma yato nāvarttate punaḥ |suvarṇādimahākadānapuṇyatīrthāvagāhanaiḥ ||dhyānairvrataiḥ pūjayā ca gharmmaśrutyā tadāpnuyāt |
Some (people) invoke that lord Viṣṇu as the lord of sacrifices. Some (invoke) Him as (lord) Hari, some as (lord) Hara (Śiva) and some others as Brahmā. Some (invoke) Him by the names of Indra etc. and others as Sun, Moon and as the eternal time. People state that the whole earth, from Brahmā to a tuft of grass, is Viṣṇu. A person who has attained (lord) Viṣṇu, the Supreme Brahman, never returns (to worldly existence). A man may acquire such a state by making great gifts such as gold, bathing in sacred waters, meditation, austerities, worship, wealth and listening to sacred texts.
~
Agni Puran 382.18-21a
sadasaccaiva yat prāhuravyaktaṃ vyaktameva ca | akṣaraṃ ca kṣaraṃ caiva sarvametanmadātmakam ||
The learned people call it by the names of sat and asat, manifest and unmanifest and also by the name of supreme reality; it is, indeed, My very nature.
~ Mahabharata, Anu Gita parva ,chapter 54, verse 5
sarvamantreṣu vaiṣṇavaḥ
Every mantra pertains to VishNu.
~ Vriddha Harita smriti 3.116
Let us take the example of Aitreya upanishad as well. It says :
eṣa brahmaiṣa indra eṣa prajāpatirete sarve devā imāni ca pañcamahābhūtāni pṛthivī vāyurākāśa āpo jyotīṃṣītyetānīmāni ca kśudramiśrāṇīva| bījānītarāṇi cetarāṇi cāṇḍajāni ca jārujāni ca svedajāni codbhijjāni cāśvā gāvaḥ puruṣā hastino yatkiñcedaṃ prāṇi jaṅgamaṃ ca patatri ca yacca sthāvaraṃ sarvaṃ tatprajñānetraṃ prajñāne pratiṣṭhitaṃ prajñānetro lokaḥ prajñā pratiṣṭhā prajñānaṃ brahma ||
This ruling Brahman; this ruling Indra; this Prajapati Father of his peoples; all these Gods and these five elemental substances, even earth, air, ether, water and the shining principles; and these great creatures and those small; and seeds of either sort; and things egg-born and things sweat-born and things born of the womb and plants that sprout; and horses and cattle and men and elephants; yea, whatsoever thing here breatheth and all that moveth and everything that hath wings and whatso moveth not; by Wisdom all these are guided and have their firm abiding in Wisdom. For Wisdom is the eye of the world, Wisdom is the sure foundation, Wisdom is Brahman Eternal.
~ Aitareyopaniṣad 5.3
This is repeated in padma Puran, where Lord Vishnu is praised with similar Mantras :
eṣa tvaṃ paramaṃ brahma eṣa tvaṃ vai prajāpatiḥ| eṣa tvamiṃdro rudraśca eṣa tvaṃ sarvadevatāḥ 70 etāni sarvabhūtāni tvameva parameśvara | suta mitrāṇi jīvāyustathānyāni sanātana 71 jarāyujāṇḍajātāni svedajodbhidyajāni ca | aśvā gāvaśca puruṣā hastinaścetarāṇi ca 72 yatkiṃcitprāṇijātaṃ ca jaṃgamāścaiva jaṃtavaḥ |sthāvarā ye ca vai nātha sarve tvatto bhavaṃti ca 73
~ Padma Puran 6.250
Therefore Verily Pragyanam is Brahman and it is Lord Vishnu himself, who is the supreme being denoted and the source of Devraj Indra (eṣa brahmaiṣa indra eṣa), who is the beholder of all names :
tapaśca kratavaḥ kāmo daśa ityādi te prabho |bhavaṃti nāmadheyāni prajñānasya ghṛṇānidheḥ 69
~ Padma Puran 6.250.69/Aitareyopaniṣad 5.2
This much is enough to establish the Fact that Vishnu is the Giver and beholder of All names. Hence, whenever Vedas use the term ‘Indra' in the sense of Supreme being, it denotes Lord Vishnu alone and not devraja, who is Subsequent to Śrīman Nārāyaṇa.
