A section from the journey

Indra and the Freeing of the Waters

Indra is the great warrior of the gods. He carries the thunderbolt and rides the storm. His most famous deed is the breaking of Vritra, a serpent who had locked up the waters. When Indra strikes, the rivers run free again. More hymns are sung to him than to any other god.

Some gods you whisper to. One god you shout for. When the sky turned black and thunder rolled over the hills, the rishis called on the boldest of all the bright ones. His name is .

Indra is the king of the storm. He carries a weapon of thunder, the , the bolt of lightning made into a club. He is strong and fearless. When a clan rode out, it was Indra they begged to ride beside them.

But the tale the rishis loved best is older and deeper. Once, they sang, the waters of the world were locked away. A great serpent named lay coiled around the mountains. He held the rivers inside, and the land below went dry and still. Nothing could grow. Nothing could move.

Then Indra rose. He drank the bright to fill himself with strength. He lifted the thunderbolt. He went out to meet the serpent, and he struck. With one great blow he broke Vritra open.

And the waters came free. They rushed down from the hills and ran to the sea, the rishis said, like cattle hurrying home. The dry land drank. The world moved again. This is Indra's great deed, sung over and over: he is the one who frees the waters.

Hold this story gently, for it carries more than rain. The rishis felt that life is always pressing against something that would hold it back. A serpent of stillness. A locked-up river. To free the waters is to let life move again. That is why this small tale was sung so many times.

And it was sung the most. Of all the gods of the Rigveda, Indra has more hymns than any other — near two hundred and fifty of them. He was, for the singers of that age, the very picture of strength used to set things free.

Think of a time when something inside you felt locked and still, and then broke open and began to flow again. The rishis gave that feeling a face and a name. Where in your own life have you felt the waters run free?