Neither came first, both worked together; but had it not been for the esoteric wisdom held by the priests in connection with his nature, Indra would have gone the way of other meteorological gods; whereas he became chiefest of the gods, and, as lord of strength, for a time came nearest to the supreme power.
INDRA.
Indra has been identified with 'storm,' with the 'sky,' with the 'year'; also with 'sun' and with 'fire' in general.[2] But if he be taken as he is found in the hymns, it will be noticed at once that he is too stormy to be the sun; too luminous to be the storm; too near to the phenomena of the monsoon to be the year or the sky; too rainy to be fire; too alien from every one thing to be any one thing.

He is too celestial to be wholly atmospheric; too atmospheric to be celestial; too earthly to be either.

A most tempting solution is that offered by Bergaigne, who sees in Indra sun or lightning.

Yet does this explanation not explain all, and it is more satisfactory than others only because it is broader; while it is not yet broad enough.

Indra, in Bergaigne's opinion, stands, however, nearer to fire than to sun.[3] But the savant does not rest content with his own explanation: "Indra est peut-etre, de tous les dieux vediques, celui qui resiste le plus longtemps a un genre d'analyse qui, applique a la plupart des autres, les resout plus ou moins vite en des personnifications des elements, soit des phenomenes naturels, soit du culte" (ibid.p.