Shachi Devi Indrani
Indrani is known to be the consort of Lord Indra, and she was mentioned in the Vedas, and several hymns were dedicated to her in the Rig Veda (10.86). Indrani is considered to be one of the Sapthamathas, seven mother goddesses, and she is also considered to be an aspect of Ma Shakti Devi.
BIRTH
Indrani is believed to have been born during the first Krita Yuga. The sister of Indrani is Sivasri. Indrani was born on an auspicious full moon day, and she looked very pretty during the time of her birth itself. At the time of her birth, her parents were found that a divine light from the sky enters into the body of the little child, and from that moment onwards, Indrani began to shine very brightly like the sparkling stars in the sky.The name of the mother of Indrani is not clearly mentioned in the Puranas, but her father’s name was mentioned in the Puranas, and his name was Paulomi, and he was a demon king. Indrani’s birth name was Shachi Paulomi. After getting married to Lord Indra, her name was changed to Indrani. Her grand-parents are Rishi Kashyapa and Ma Dhanu.
LIFE
Indrani though was born in the clan of demons, but she looked like the beautiful Devata. She was educated under the guidance of the Demon Guru Sukracharya, and she began to grasp even the toughest subjects quickly and easily. After she reached teenage, when her parents tried to arrange marriage, she refused to choose the demons during a Swayamvara, but she had chosen Lord Indra, who was also present in the Swayamavara. When Indrani put the garland on the handsome Indra Bhagavan, Lord Indra accepted the garland, and he also garlanded her with a beautiful “PARIJATHA FLOWER GARLAND”, which would be available only in the Indra Loka. However, the father of Indrani, Paulomi, who was a rival to Indra, didn’t like to accept Lord Indra as his son-in-law, and hence he began to fight with him. Lord Indra initially warned him and he has given some advices also. But instead of repeated requests, Paulomi ferociously fought with Indra, and finally he was killed in the hands of his son-in-law, Lord Indra. Though Indrani initially felt worried about the death of her father Paulomi, but somehow, she consoled herself, and went with his newly wedded consort Lord Indra to the Indra Loka, also called as Swarga Loka. Indrani is also called as Devadevi, Mahendrini and Devamata. Her children are Jayanta, Jayanti and Devasena.
Once Indra had suffered from severe Brahmahati Dosha, due to the killing of Vritrasura, and hence he has lost his powers, and he began to hide himself on a lotus pond. After knowing about the condition of Lord Indra, the Devas appointed Nahusha, a powerful king in the earth, as the new Indra. When Nahusha saw Indrani, he tried to sexually molest her, by considering her as his new wife. But Indrani had cunningly escaped from Nahusha, and for some time, she took shelter under Lord Mahakala, an aspect of Lord Dharma Shasta.
After some time, due to a curse given by Rishi Agastya, Nahusha has transformed into a big snake, and began to live on the earth. In course of time, Lord Indra had got relieved from the Brahmahati Dosha, and the divine couple united with each other, and began to peacefully live in the Indra Loka.
SIGNIFICANCE OF MA INDRANI
Indrani is also considered to be a powerful goddess, and similar to worshipping other female deities like Shakti, Lakshmi and Saraswati, we can worship Ma Indrani also for getting all kinds of prosperity in our life. Similar to Ma Shakti Devi, Ma Indrani has occupied half of the portion of the body of Lord Indra, and she only activates him through her powers, which she has obtained out of her chastity, holiness and meditation.
Ma Indrani is also mentioned in Buddhist and Jain texts, and there, she is described as a minor deity with a different name. She was also mentioned in the Ramayana and Mahabharata, and she is described as the queen of the queens and she is also described as a precious GEM stone with regard to her good qualities. She controls the 33 Crore Devas and Apsaras in the heaven,and she is very fond of her husband Lord Indra, and she is described as a very kind and good natured goddess in the Vedas. She also welcomes the blessed souls to the Indra Loka and interacts with them in a gentle manner.
“OM MA INDRANIYE NAMAHA”
WRITTEN BY
R.HARISHANKAR