Indian Mythology: The Heavenly Emperor Won't Go to Work Today - Chapter 2

Indian mythology follows a basic process.

Tapasya—》Receiving blessing —》Challenging the Heavenly Emperor —》The Trimurti Finding Loopholes to Get Rid of Asuras.

The Asuras rely on their long lifespan and endurance to engage in Tapasya, then receive blessings from the Trimurti, and begin by challenging the heavenly emperor.

Because blessings harness the power of the world’s laws, the power bestowed is generally much greater than that of gods. Sometimes, even the Trimurti may struggle with the power of blessings. Unless Lord Shiva destroys the world, even the Trimurti cannot break the blessings.

Yes!

Unless the Trimurti flips the table, they can’t break the blessings either.

Destroying the world is not what the Trimurti hopes for!

The only option is to find loopholes and discover the weaknesses of the blessings!

Before finding the weaknesses of the blessings, the Heavenly Emperor Indra is the stepping stone to test the power of blessings.

The one who gets beaten up!

An Asura king who hasn’t fought the Heavenly Emperor isn’t a qualified Asura king!

‘What a lousy position, whoever wants it can have it! Which Heavenly Emperor gets beaten up every day!’ Indra thought to himself with a slight turn of his eyes.

Of course, he couldn’t speak the truth!

Ahem!

He coughed twice with pursed lips and hurriedly said, “Now we are cursed, making me understand that being the Heavenly Emperor is really difficult. My will is not firm enough, and my austerity is not perfect.”

Indra’s face was solemn as he clenched his fist against his chest, giving a serious answer.

“You weren’t like this before. I remember you used to say often, ‘As gods, it is only natural for us to enjoy all the beauty of this world!’ How come you’ve changed now?” Surya couldn’t believe it, showing a difficult expression on his dark face.

Indra, the proud and arrogant Heavenly Emperor, actually felt that his austerity was not enough.

Unbelievable!

“It’s just shedding my previous immaturity. I have gained insight into asceticism, I have understood the true path!” Indra folded his hands together in a manner resembling piety, and answered seriously.

He looked directly at the astonished Surya and said, “Look at my beggar-like appearance now; the asceticity has already begun. I will accumulate some ascetic energy first, and then I plan to ask for a piece of Golden Sun God Armor as a blessing!”

【Blessing】, as a cosmic law, can grant power far beyond the capabilities of the one bestowing the blessing, based on the ascetic energy accumulated by one undergoing Tapasya.

In the future, there will be an Asura named Dambhodbhava, who is the most devout follower of the Sun God Surya. Through Tapasya, he will obtain the blessing of the Golden Sun God Armor.

This Golden Sun God Armor consists of a thousand layers.

To break through this armor, it requires the power of thousand years of ascetic energy to penetrate just one layer. That means someone needs to meditate for a million years in order to break all layers. On top of that, whenever an enemy breaks a layer of the armor, they will be cursed to die.

In order to break this Sun God Armor, the World Protector Vishnu dispatched two avatars – Nara and Narayana.

The two avatars practiced asceticism for a thousand years, relying on the ascetic energy to shatter one layer of the armor. When one avatar dies from the shattered layer, the other one takes over, and then Vishnu resurrects the deceased avatar to continue practicing asceticism for another thousand years.

After repeating this for a million years, the arrogant Asura named Dambhodbhava only had the last layer of the Golden Sun God Armor left. So, he decided to melt it down, entered into the cycle of reincarnation, and was reborn as the son of the Sun God, Karna.

This is a top-grade equipment!

A hundred Sun Gods Surya combined are not as powerful as a single piece of Sun God Armor.

It’s outrageous!

However, this is the law of the universe, the truth of this world!

This is also the reason why Indra came directly to Surya.

Apart from its protective ability, the Golden Sun God Armor is also the most difficult to deal with among many blessings. Even the World Protector Vishnu can only send avatars to slowly wear down this armor.

With this Sun God Armor, he has the confidence to face those Asuras.

“You’ve truly changed!”

Surya looked at Indra with a serious expression, raised his hand and said, “Once your Tapasya is complete, your blessings shall be fulfilled.”

Boom!

At this moment, Indra suddenly felt a response within himself. The suffering he endured seemed to have a resonance, rising like flames, becoming even more vigorous.

The ascetic energy increased again!

Indra’s eyes lit up.

It seems that his current appearance indeed satisfies the universal laws.

After all, as the Heavenly Emperor, the King of Gods, the Lord of the Three Realms, now in the guise of a beggar, the ascetic energy he gained under such a contrast is much stronger than that of an ordinary person for hundreds of years.

“Thank you, praise be to Surya! I’ll go back now!” Indra smiled and nodded.

“Praise be to Indra!” Surya responded.

In the heavenly realm, clouds filled the sky.

Before long, Indra flew towards his own palace.

It’s called the Heavenly Emperor’s palace.

Under the curse of Durvasa, it has now become a dilapidated thatched hut. The radiant and beautiful demi-god attendants, Gandharvas, have also lost their handsome or beautiful appearance. They sat at the gate of the Heavenly Emperor’s palace like a group of beggars, basking in the sun.

“This Durvasa guy is really powerful, worthy of being Shiva’s devotee!”

“Once my ascetic energy is enough, I’ll curse him too, let him taste what it’s like to be cursed by others!”

Indra thought to himself.

The ascetic energy not only can gain blessings but also can be used to curse.

The curse of Durvasa is so powerful that it affects all the gods in the heavenly realm, not only because he is Shiva’s worshipper but also because his ascetic energy is strong enough.

“Praise be to Indra!”

“Praise be to Indra!”

…

Many voices of praise came from the mouths of these Gandharvas.

They, dressed in tattered clothes, all stood up together, chanting slogans neatly.

For a moment, Indra had a feeling of being the leader of beggars.

These Gandharvas are also descendants of the sage Kashyapa, but they do not have the divine power of gods and Asuras, instead they are very good at art and music.

Fragrant! Soft! Indra and other gods guided the Gandharvas to the heavenly realm as attendants.

“From today onwards, the Heavenly Emperor’s palace will be closed. I will be undergoing Tapasya, and no one shall disturb me!”

Indra walked straight into the Heavenly Emperor’s palace, waved his hand high, and declared.

The Gandharvas immediately obeyed and began to close the gates.

Boom!

The Gandharvas outside pulled the gates shut with a loud bang.

In an instant, the temple, dilapidated like a grass hut, was empty save for Indra alone.

He scraped together a pile of dry grass from the ground, lifted it up, and walked to his own nest. With a gesture resembling the scattering of flowers by a celestial maiden, he then bent his knees slightly, leaped onto the pile of grass, and exclaimed, “Hey! I’m going to sleep directly!”

Indra lay on the grass, propped up his thigh, hugged a handful of straw to his chest, and rolled around on the straw heap.

It’s a bit uncomfortable, but it’ll do.

He practiced Tapasya by adhering to eight rules: abstaining from alcohol, not sitting on a throne, not wearing magnificent divine clothes, not residing in splendid divine palaces, not squandering wealth, not displaying luxury, not riding mounts, and not coveting positions.

Under the curse of Durvasa, he has no wine to drink, no throne to sit on, no divine clothes, no wealth, no luxury, and no flying mount.

Now, he can even give up the position of Heavenly Emperor, naturally satisfied without seeking status.

Everything met the conditions of asceticism!

“Anyway, the ascetic energy is increasing. Whatever happens, I’ll deal with it after I wake up!”

“I’ll just sleep for a thousand years first!”

Indra closed his eyes and thought.

…

The Brahmalok.

In the world, there is the Milky Ocean (Kshirasagara), above which are the three realms: the heavenly realm, the nether realm, and the human realm.

The realm of humans is where humans, animals, Yakshas (nature spirit), and Rakshasas (demons) reside.

The Asuras reside in the nether realm, and the heavenly realm is where many gods, Gandharvas, Apsaras (heavenly maidens), and sages reside.
(T/N: – Manushya Lok is the Human Realm, Swarg Lok is the Heavenly Realm, and Patal Lok is the nether realm.)

But above the heavenly realm, there is another space called Brahmalok.

It is where the creator god, Brahma, resides!

This place is ethereal, with clouds floating and misty, filled with a sacred and pure atmosphere. Being here can make one feel spiritually purified.

Two lotus flowers are high above this place, with figures on them.

Brahma wears a crown on his head, with white hair and beard, looking like an old man. His skin is reddish, draped in a white robe, with four arms holding Vedic scriptures, lotus flowers, water pots, and prayer beads.

Another goddess is elegant and beautiful, dressed in white clothes, with a crescent moon on her forehead, holding a phoenix-headed lute in her hands. She looks like a young nymph, adorned with gold ornaments, clear and wise.

She is none other than Brahma’s wife – Sarasvati!

Also known as the goddess of eloquence and divine music, she is the goddess of wisdom.

From Brahmalok, one can overlook the three realms and witness everything, as it all unfolds before their eyes.

“What is Indra doing?”

“Is he sleeping?”

Sarasvati furrowed her brows slightly, looking down from above.

At a glance, she saw the unkempt Indra, and couldn’t help but ask.

“No!”

Brahma’s beard twitched slightly, and in his eyes, there reflected a rising ascetic energy. Indra was lying sideways in this flame-like energy.

“Tapasya!”