MAHATMYAM OF CHAPTER 18 - INDRA BECOMES A RENUNCIATE

Indra, the king of gods, and Indrani, his consort, were sitting on the throne and enjoying the dance and music of the angels of their court. Present among the performers were the celebrated Apsaras, Urvasi, Menaka, Rambha, Tilottama and others who were clapping hilariously to the rhythm of the music and dance. Before the dance could reach its culmination, a person glowing with divine splendour entered the hall. He was escorted by the attendants of Lord Vishnu. As he entered the hall, Indra and Indrani were ejected from theirthrones by a strange force which appeared to have emerged from the new-comer glowing with divine, splendour. The invincible sword of Indra, "Vajra", darted across the hall and landed in the hands of the new-comer.

The angels, Apsaras and others prostrated to the new-corner. He ascended the throne of Indra and sat down on it majestically. The denizens of heavens applauded the new-comer and sounded calls of victory in his honour.

Indrani, who had got up on her feet by that time, walked up and sat on the throne to the left of the new-comer.

"What an atrocity ! Who are you to sit on my throne?", Indra asked the stranger.

The stranger pointed his finger towards Indra and gesticulated: "Get out of here!"
"Who can this be?" Indra wondered.

He approached the attendants of Vishnu who had escorted him. But they just disappeared.

"Urvashi! Menaka! Come here!" called out Indra.

They gesticulated to him by their fingers: "Get out of here!". Indra was humiliated even by his own maidens! With a down-cast face, he came out of the hall.

He scratched his head and tried hard to comprehend the merits that must have been earned by the new-comer.

'He has not performed even one Yaga (Sacrifice). He has ousted me who had attained the status of Indra by performing one hundred Yagas. I am unable to stand the divine splendour of the stranger. I don't get enough strength even to argue with him. He does not seem to have done any meritorious deed to deserve Indra-hood. And yet how did this happen? The attendants of Vishnu escorted him here. Perhaps it might be by the command of Lord Vishnu.

'Alright then. Let me go and see Vishnu'.

Indra reached the world of Vishnu. There he praised the Lord by chanting the Purusha -Sookta.

Vishnu appeared.

Indra narrated all the incidents and wept bitterly.

After hearing Indra patiently, Vishnu said with a smile: "Indra! Please understand that the merits accruing from the performance of Yagas, austerities, charities and other noble deeds are all limited. When your merits got exhausted, you lost your Indra-hood. There is very little merit now left with you. And the moment that too is exhausted, you will descend to the world, of human beings. What is the use of grieving? It is not possible for anyone to ward off the results of one's actions".

"Lord", said Indra with a voice choked with sorrow. "I performed one hundred Yagas and attained the state of Iridra-hood. But the new person has not even performed one Yaga!"

'True. But the merits of your Yagas have been exhausted. There is no other course for you except going back to the world of humans".

"What about the new Indra who has not performed any Yaga at all?"

True, he has not performed any Yaga", said Vishnu. "But during his life-time as a human being, he had regularly chanted the eighteenth chapter of the Geeta. Bhagawad Geeta should be considered as My own form. By the power of Geeta chanting, he attained Indra-hood. And when your stock of merits were exhausted, you were thrown out of your seat, and the new Indra occupied it."

Indra stood there overcome by grief.

"Therefore," the Lord continued, "you too start chanting and studying the eighteenth chapter of Geeta. But beware! Only human beings have access to the Geeta. The Devas do not have access to the Geeta and Bhagawata. So think well as to how you can overcome the problem and act accordingly."

So saying the Lord vanished.

Indra, with the little merit left on his account, came down to the world of humans and assumed the form of a brahmin.

He searched for a fit teacher to teach him the Geeta, and reached the banks of river Godavari .

There, in the village called Kaalika, he found a brahmin who was regularly chanting the eighteenth chapter of the Geeta. Indra became his disciple and studied the Geeta, especially the eighteenth chapter.

But his mind underwent a transformation. The study of Geeta awakened in him true discrimination, and he relinquished his desire to attain Indra-hood again, realising that it was not a permanent state. He relinquished his desires for status and power, glory and acclamation. He became a man of steady wisdom, a man of Self-Realisation, and attained Oneness with Lord Vishnu . Such is the Glory of Geeta .