Parjanya

Parjanya according to the Vedas is a deity of rain, thunder, lightning, and the one who fertilizes the earth. It is another epithet of Indra, the Vedic deity of the sky and heaven. Description It is assumed Parjanya is the udder and lightning is the teats of the rain-cow, accordingly rain represents her milk. Also he is sometimes considered as a rain-bull controlled by the superior Indra. The thunder is his roar. He is the father of arrow or reed which grows rapidly in rainy season. He is also considered as a protector of poets and an enemy of flesh-eating fire. Meanings According to his 1965 Sanskrit–English Dictionary, Vaman Shivram Apte gives the following meanings: Rain-cloud, thunder cloud, a cloud in general; Rain (as referred in the Shloka from Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3 Verse 14); The god (deva) of rain i.e. Indra. In hymns