Indra in his arrogance wants to build the greatest city ever. He is humbled when he learns that he is just one in a long line of Indras.
Indra had just slain the demon Vritta and was pumped up no end. He wanted to commemorate this achievement of his in an everlasting manner. He called Viswakarma, the architect of the demi-gods, and ordered him to build a city the likes of which had never been seen before. Viswakarma got the plans approved and started the construction. But everyday when Indra came to survey the work he was not satisfied. He wanted taller towers, grander palaces and a larger city. Viswakarma was in a fix. He knew that both he and Indra were immortal. It began to appear that he would be involved with the city till eternity.
Ultimately he went to Brahma the Creator and requested his intervention. Brahma told him that he would work out a solution with Vishnu and Shiva. A few days later a brahmin boy knocked on the doors of Indra’s palace. After he was received with due hospitality he said, “Indra I have just seen the new city you are building. It is much grander than anything any of the Indras before you have built.”
Indra was shell-shocked. “Indras before him?” As far as he knew he was the only Indra and he was immortal. There could not be any Indras before him and he certainly was not going anywhere. He said as much to the brahmin boy.
The boy smiled at Indra’s ignorance and said to him, “Every time Brahma closes his eyes a universe collapses and vanishes and every time Brahma opens his eyes a universe is created. With every universe dying the Indra of that universe dies and with every universe being born the Indra of that universe is born. Not even the wisest sage in your realm can estimate the number of Indras that exist all over the universe this very moment.”
The brahmin boy as you may have guessed was Vishnu in disguise. The story in the Brahmavaivarta Purana goes on to narrate the complete humbling of Indra, but this point is appropriate for us to pause. The narrative brings out the utter insignificance of our time and space by bringing out the utter insignificance of our universe, which occupies an infinitely larger time and space than all of human race. This is why the Vedas and Upanishads attach much less importance to the creation of the human race as compared to the creation of the universe. The universe was not created for man’s enjoyment and convenience. The universe is God’s Lila or playacting and humans have a very small role.
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