2 Chapter 2 : Indra's undergoing Asceticism
In Hindu mythology, there's a basic process.
Asceticism -> Blessing -> Beating up the King of the Gods -> Bugs in the Trimurti removing Asuras.
The Asuras rely on their long lifespan and endurance to undergo asceticism. Then, they obtain blessings from the Trimurti and start beating up the King of the Gods in the heavenly realm.
Because blessings are the power of the world's laws, the power of blessings generally far exceeds that of the heavenly gods. Sometimes even the Trimurti will be troubled by the ability to bestow blessings unless they let Shiva destroy the world. Otherwise, they can't break the blessing.
Yes!
Unless the Trimurti flips the table, they can't break the blessing.
Destroying the world is not what the Trimurti wants!
They can only use bugs to find the weaknesses of the blessing!
Before finding the weakness of the blessing, the King of the Gods, Indra, is the stepping stone to test the power of the blessing.
The one who gets beaten up!
An Asura king who hasn't beaten up the King of the Gods isn't qualified!
"This broken position, whoever wants it, can take it!"
"Which King of the Gods gets beaten up every day!"
Indra thought so to himself.
Of course, he couldn't speak the truth!
Ahem!
He coughed twice, quickly saying, "Now we're under a curse, and I realize that being the King of the Gods is hard. My will isn't firm enough, and my asceticism isn't complete."
Indra's expression turned serious, clenching his fist against his chest, and giving a solemn answer.
"You weren't like this before. I remember you used to say, 'As gods, enjoying all the beauty of the world is only natural!' Now, why the change?"
Surya couldn't believe it. On his blackened face, a difficult expression appeared.
The proud and arrogant King of the Gods, Indra, actually felt that his asceticism wasn't enough.
Unbelievable!
"But it's just getting rid of the immaturity of the past. I have realized asceticism, I have understood the righteous way!"
Indra folded his hands together, pretending to look devout, blathering.
He looked directly at the astonished Surya and said, "Look at my beggar-like appearance now. My asceticism has already begun. I'll accumulate some ascetic power first. When the time comes, I'm going to ask for a Golden Sun God Armor as a blessing!"
[Blessing]as a cosmic law can give power far beyond the giver's own based on the power of asceticism.
In the future, there will be an Asura named Jiāoshēng, who is the most devout follower of the Sun God, Surya. He undergoes asceticism to obtain the blessing of the Golden Sun God Armor.
This Golden Sun God Armor has a total of one thousand layers.
To break the armor, it takes the power of a thousand years of asceticism to pierce each layer. However, every time a layer of the armor is broken, the enemy will be cursed to die.
To break this Sun God's Armor, the Guardian God Viṣṇu sends out two incarnations—Nar and Narayan.
The two incarnations undergo asceticism for a thousand years. With the power of asceticism, they break one layer of the armor, and when one incarnation dies, the other takes over. Viṣṇu then resurrects the deceased incarnation to continue asceticism for another thousand years.
After a million years of repetition, the Asura Jiāoshēng is left with only the last layer of the Golden Sun God's Armor. So he decides to leave, entering into the cycle of reincarnation, and is reborn as the son of the Sun God, Karna.
This is a top-tier equipment!
A hundred Suns Surya combined doesn't match up to a single piece of Sun God Armor.
It's ridiculous!
But this is the law of the universe, the truth of this world!
This is also why Indra came to find Surya directly.
Besides, the Golden Sun God's Armor, not to mention other things, just its defensive power is the most troublesome among many blessings. Even the Guardian God Viṣṇu can only send incarnations to slowly wear down this armor.
With this Sun God Armor, he has the confidence to face those Asuras.
"You're different!"
Surya looked at Indra seriously, raising his hand. "When your asceticism is complete, I'll satisfy all your blessings."
Boom!
At that moment, Indra suddenly felt within himself that the suffering he endured seemed to have a response, rising like flames, becoming more vigorous.
The power of asceticism increased again!
Indra's eyes brightened.
It seems that his current appearance indeed satisfies asceticism.
After all, as the King of the Gods, the Lord of the heavenly gods, and the master of the three realms, now in a beggar-like appearance, the power of asceticism he gains is much stronger than that of an ordinary person for hundreds of years.
"Thank you, praise be to Surya!"
"I'm going back now!"
Indra smiled and nodded.
"Praise be to Indra!"
Surya responded.
In the heavenly realm, the sea of clouds billowed.
In no time, Indra flew back to his palace.
It's called the King of the Gods' palace.
Under the curse of the mendicant sage, it has now become a broken grass hut, and the shining attendant, Ganesh, has also lost his handsome or beautiful appearance, sitting at the door of the palace like a group of beggars, basking in the sun.
"This mendicant sage is really powerful, worthy of being Shiva's incarnation!"
"When my ascetic power is enough, I'll curse him too, let him try being cursed by others!"
Indra thought to himself.
The power of asceticism can not only obtain blessings but also consume ascetic power to curse.
The curse of the mendicant sage is so powerful that it affects all the gods in the heavenly realm, not only because he is Shiva's incarnation but also because his ascetic power is strong enough.
"Praise be to Indra!"
"Praise be to Indra!"
"Praise be to Indra!"
...
Many praises came from these Gandharvas' mouths.
They wore tattered clothes, stood up together, and shouted slogans neatly.
For a moment, Indra had the feeling of being the leader of beggars.
These Gandharvas are also descendants of the sage Vashishta, but they don't have the divine power of gods and Asuras, but they are very good at music.
Fragrant! Soft!
Indra and other gods guided the Gandharvas to the heavenly realm as attendants.
"From today on, seal off the King of the Gods' palace. I'm going to do asceticism, and no one is allowed to see me!"
Indra walked straight into the King of the Gods' palace, waved his hand high, and announced.
The Gandharvas immediately followed orders and began to close the door.
Boom!
The Gandharvas outside pulled the door shut with a loud noise.
For a moment, the broken grass hut of the palace had only one god, Indra, inside.
He picked up a pile of dry grass from the ground, walked to his own nest, stretched out his hands as if scattering flowers, then bent his knees slightly and jumped onto the grass pile.
"Hey!"
"I'm going to sleep right away!"
Indra lay on the grass, propped up his thighs, hugged a bunch of straw, and rolled on the straw pile.
It's a bit uncomfortable, but it's bearable.
He's undergoing asceticism by not drinking alcohol, not sitting on a throne, not wearing magnificent divine clothes, not dwelling in a splendid temple, not squandering wealth, not reveling in luxury, not riding a mount, and not coveting positions.
Under the curse of the mendicant sage, he has no alcohol 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 the King of the Gods, naturally satisfying not coveting positions.
It all meets the conditions for asceticism!
"Anyway, the power of asceticism is increasing. Who cares about anything else? I'll just sleep first!"
"Let's sleep for a thousand years first!"
Indra closed his eyes, thinking.
...
Brahma's realm.
In the world, there is Mount Meru, and above Mount Meru are the three realms, namely the heavenly realm, the earthly realm, and the human realm.
The human realm is where humans, animals, Yakshas, and Rakshasas live. The earthly realm is where the Asuras live, and the heavenly realm is where many gods, Ganeshes, Apsaras, and sages reside.
But above the heavenly realm, there is another space called Brahma's realm.
It is where the creator god, Brahma, resides!
This place is empty and ethereal, with clouds and mist, filled with pure and holy air. Being here, one can feel their soul being cleansed.
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 rosy, draped in a white robe, with eight arms holding Vedas, lotus flowers, water pots, and prayer beads.
The other goddess is elegant and beautiful, wearing white clothes with a crescent moon on her forehead. She holds a phoenix-headed lyre and looks like a twelve-year-old girl, adorned with gold ornaments, clear and wise.
She is Brahma's wife—Saraswati!
Also known as the goddess of eloquence and music, she is the goddess of wisdom.
From Brahma's realm, one can overlook the three realms, observing everything, everything, entering one's eyes.
"What is Indra doing?"
"Sleeping?"
Saraswati frowned slightly, looking down.
At a glance, she saw the untidy Indra, and couldn't help but ask.
"No!"
Brahma's beard moved slightly, reflecting a surging power of asceticism within him. Indra was lying sideways in this fiery asceticism, and ascetic power was surging within him.
"He's undergoing asceticism!"
(End of this chapter)
