The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads v1.c17.s1.35

v1.c17.s1.35

While it is in these mythical forms that the feats of Indra as bringing down the rain and finding the light are mainly celebrated, there are passages in which he is credited with creating the lightnings and turning the waters of heaven downwards, and very much more freely is his feat of winning the dawn and the sun celebrated. Such a god was clearly essentially suited to be the god of the warrior, and Indra is the great aider of the Vedic Indian, the Aryan, in his fights, whether with other Aryan foes, or more often in the tradition with the Dāsas or Dasyus, in whom we must often see the aborigines. It would be wholly impossible to believe that in every case the Dāsas are human enemies, and they include doubtless evil spirits who are none other than the gods of the hated races: twice in the Rigveda¹ we find phallus worshippers regarded as hostile, and everything points to the probability of such deities being among the enemies overthrown by Indra in the Rigveda. But, equally obviously, historical men may be reckoned as among the foes of the gods, and invested with traits of demons. Or again they may simply be mentioned as defeated by Indra, as princes whom we have no reason to doubt as Aryan are represented as being defeated for another prince by the aid of the god, as when for Tūrvayāṇa, Āyu, Atithigva, and Kutsa are overthrown.