Free Radicals: Cause And Concern

POLLUTION, STRESS AND FAULTY FOOD HABITS > FREE RADICALS > OXIDATIVE STRESS > INCREASED CELL DAMAGE.

Mounting scientific evidence may support the important role of free radicals in the development of some diseases. 

Free radicals are molecules or atoms that have at least one unpaired electron which usually increases the chemical reactivity of the molecule. 

Environmental radiation/stress/many other pollutants and physiological processes in the body cause free radicals to form. 

Free radicals can react with other molecules to cause cell damage or DNA mutation. 

Molecules called antioxidants protect against free radical damage. 

When antioxidants are ineffective, enzymes produced by the body work to repair free radical damage. 

Higher levels of free radicals tend to cause increased cellular damage. This effect is called oxidative stress. Oxidative stress may contribute to cardiovascular disease and cancer. 

Chemical compounds found in some foods may decrease the accumulated effects of oxidative stress, thus helping to prevent disease. 

Free Radicals: Atoms contain a nucleus, and electrons move around the nucleus, usually in pairs. A free radical is any atom or molecule that contains one or more unpaired electrons.
           The unpaired electrons alter the chemical reactivity of an atom or molecule, usually making it more reactive than the corresponding non-radical. However, the actual chemical reactivity of radicals varies enormously. 
           The hydrogen radical ([H.sup.*], the same as a hydrogen atom), which contains 1 proton and 1 electron (therefore unpaired), is the simplest free radical. Free-radical chain reactions are often initiated by removal of [H.sup.*] from other molecules. A superscripted dot is used to denote free radicals. 

Free radicals and chain reaction:  Most molecules in the body are not radicals. Hence any reactive free radical generated is likely to react with a non-radical. When a free radical reacts with a non-radical, a free-radical chain reaction results and new radicals are formed. Figure 1 shows two important reactions of this type. Attack of reactive radicals on membranes or lipoproteins starts lipid peroxidation, which is particularly implicated in the development of atherosclerosis. If hydroxyl radicals are generated close to DNA, they can attack the purine and pyrimidine bases and cause mutations. For example, guanine is converted into 8-hydroxyguanine and other products.

Free radicals and premature aging: Air pollutants rob skin cells of oxygen and cause free radical production in the skin. This, in combination with UV radiation decreases the production of collagen and elastin, causing the skin to thin and lose elasticity, leading to sagging skin, fine lines, and wrinkles.

Free radicals and diseases: Free radicals are capable of damage biomolecules, provoke immune response, activate oncogens, cause atherogenesis and enhance ageing process. However, in healthy conditions nature has endowed human body with enormous antioxidant potential. Subtle balance exists between free radical generation and antioxidant defence system to cope with oxidative stress by various enzymes and vitamins at cellular level which prevent the occurrence of disease. However, factors tilting the balance in favour of excess free radicals generation lead to widespread oxidative tissue damage and diseases. Therefore, trouble starts when there is an excess of free radicals and the defence mechanism lags behind. Overwhelming production of free radicals in response to exposure to toxic chemicals and ageing may necessitate judicious antioxidant supplement to help alleviate free radical mediated damage.

tropospheric mean concentrations of (a) O₃, (b) OH, (c) H₂O₂ and (d) the surface Δ¹⁷O(SO₄^2-).  The measurement locations are shown in (a).

Free radicals with pollutants: Highly reactive molecules called free radicals can cause tissue damage by reacting with polyunsaturated fatty acids in cellular membranes, nucleotides in DNA, and critical sulfhydryl bonds in proteins. Free radicals can originate endogenously from normal metabolic reactions or exogenously as components of tobacco smoke and air pollutants and indirectly through the metabolism of certain solvents, drugs, and pesticides as well as through exposure to radiation. There is some evidence that free radical damage contributes to the etiology of many chronic health problems such as emphysema, cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases, cataracts, and cancer. Defenses against free radical damage include tocopherol (vitamin E), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), beta-carotene, glutathione, uric acid, bilirubin, and several metalloenzymes including glutathione peroxidase (selenium), catalase (iron), and superoxide dismutase (copper, zinc, manganese) and proteins such as ceruloplasmin (copper). The extent of tissue damage is the result of the balance between the free radicals generated and the antioxidant protective defense system. Several dietary micronutrients contribute greatly to the protective system. Based on the growing interest in free radical biology and the lack of effective therapies for many of the chronic diseases, the usefulness of essential, safe nutrients in protecting against the adverse effects of oxidative injury warrants further study.

Free radicals with oily fried foods (through lipid oxidation): Modern industrial environments, lifestyles and poor nutrition contribute heavily to Free Radical production.  When the body is low on antioxidants Free Radicals increase.  Additionally, unprotected exposure to the sun produces Free Radicals in the skin, mental and emotional stress are key causes of Free Radicals, as is smoking, the taking of drugs of any kind (including alcohol), cooked oils or fats, exposure to petrochemicals, heavy metals, and even excess adrenaline or insulin all take part in Free Radical production in our bodies.

WHAT CAN STOP A FREE RADICAL? (ANTIOXIDANTS): A free radical is stopped when the electron difference (gaining or losing an electron) is corrected.  Molecules that can correct the electron difference are called Antioxidants.  The process of damage by Free Radicals is called oxidation (think rust on metal or the browning of a cut apple), and the process that prevents it is anti-oxidation, and the molecules which do the prevention are called Antioxidants. Antioxidants are found in dark colored vegetables and fruit and in dietary supplements. The life of a free radical has three stages: the initiation stage, propagation stage, and finally the termination stage. Free radicals are terminated or neutralized by nutrients (antioxidants), enzymatic mechanisms, or by recombining with each other.

Related blog post links:

http://sciencedoing.blogspot.in/2013/05/oxidative-stress-strain-as-predisposing.html

http://sciencedoing.blogspot.in/2013/05/dark-oxidants-super-oxides-in-depth-of.html
http://sciencedoing.blogspot.in/2011/12/oxygen-necessary-evil.html
*Note: all pictures thankfully shared from various sources..

Civilization Threat: Pollution

Humans have lived so happily ever since 200,000 years of their existence on this planet, until this last 250 years of short period which saw the sea through change in their life style. This extreme change is taking us to the door of our own doom. Our bodies have become the store house of pollutants mixed in air, water and food and the results: we are living with life threatening diseases. 

Still we have time only if awaken to the threat on our door, knocking one last time, for grasping opportunity to save our own survival on this beautiful blue planet of ours !!

200,000 years of human existence of peace & happiness

Humans (Homo sapiens) are primates of the family Hominidae, and the only living species of the genus Homo. They originated in Africa, where they reached anatomical modernity about 200,000 years ago and began to exhibit full behavioral modernity around 50,000 years ago.

^{This was the period when human lived with his basic needs and  happiness.}

Earliest Civilizations

The four earliest civilizations - Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Indian, and Chinese - arose between c. 3100 B.C. and c. 1500 B.C., in each case in the valley of a great river system. 

If you have willed to watch India thousands years back, Lothal is perfect place for you. It is the first Indian port of Indus valley Civilization between 1800-2400 B.C. it shows the knowledge of the ancient India about town planning. Research says that Indian subcontinent made trades with Egypt, Persia and Mesopotamia from this place. Discovery and research also says that it may be usual to have two bodies in single grave as researchers found three such graves here. Apart from this, 4000 years old seals of Indus valley, terracotta items and other ancient stone jewellery had also been found at this place.

                                          

Last 250 years journey of bad and ugly

In documented history of humans, it's about 250 years of time in total, when they set their foot in a period called the Industrial Revolution, where changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural condition of the times. It began in the United Kingdom, then subsequently spread throughout Western Europe, North America, Japan, and eventually the rest of the world. 

                                                    

                                                  

The Era of Sustainability: The Next Revolution

Looking back at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, it is difficult to realize how and what took place then is having such complicated and vast effects today. This is the principle of environmental unity – a change in one system will cause changes in others. Certainly, the seeds of progress – and the ramifications of that progress – were planted then. And with the very same mechanisms and effects that brought about both the progress and the indelibly connected results of that progress to our ecology – the good, the bad and the ugly – over the last 250 years, we are entering a new era of sustainability. 

Human body tissue (adipose); the storage ground for toxins

# Fat, also known as adipose tissue, isn't just sitting there on your hips. (Or jiggling there on your hips. Whatever.) "Adipose tissue is a complex, essential, and highly active metabolic and endocrine organ."

# Because most of environmental chemicals, called estrogen disruptors or xenoestrogens, are toxic and estrogen/antiandrogen active, they can disregulate hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis potentially inducing reproductive disorders.

#... the obese tend to have increased organochlorine concentrations compared to lean individuals. During body weight loss, a decrease in fat mass results in lipid mobilization, and organochlorine concentrations increase both in plasma and remaining adipose tissue.

# Our foods contain various chemicals (e.g. pesticides) that are fat soluble.... losing fat (weight) too quickly will flush lots of toxic chemicals into our bloodstream -- too fast for our bodies to effectively eliminate.

colored scanning electron micrograph of fat tissue

An alarming Report
Once upon a time, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted a program called the National Human Adipose Tissue Survey (NHATS). In 1982 and again in 1987 it analyzed human fat samples from cadavers obtained throughout the country, looking for the types of toxins that accumulate in human fat. Four industrial solvents and one dioxin were found in 100 percent of the fat samples⁶. Nine more chemicals, including three more dioxins and one furan were found in more than 90 percent of the fat samples. In general, 83 percent of the fat samples contained PCBs. U.S. researchers have confirmed the presence of multiple toxins in human fat⁷ associated with obesity risk. The EPA has confirmed the presence of these chemicals as pollution in the farm soil across America .

Overview of main health effects on humans from some common types of pollution.

(pic courtesy share)

Points to ponder: 
1. The result of life style: We expect our bodies to accept all sort of life style so easily. We never think that's not possible without a resistance.  

In fact, the way or body opposes the artificial and modern lifestyle is  - heart, asthma and cancer like serious diseases.

2. Risk for heart: Heart disease is primarily due to our diet. Once we eat fried food, then this oxidized oil releases free radicals in to our blood vessels, which not only causes heart disease but may be our whole body is at risk.
3. Water pollution is a serious problem: Major source of water pollution is industrial waste and  city sewage which is carried directly into rivers, agricultural and industrial products adds to the problem. Polluted water causes many serious diseases like cholera, diarrhea, tuberculosis and enteric infections.
4. Free radicals are dangerous: Dangerous factors of pollutants present in the body are the free radicals.(A free radical is any molecule that has an odd number of electrons. Free radicals, which can occur in both organic (i.e., quinones) and inorganic molecules (i.e., O(2)), are highly reactive and, therefore, transient. Free radicals are generated in vivo as by products of normal metabolism. They are also produced when an organism is exposed to ionizing radiation, to drugs capable of redox cycling, or to xenobiotics that can form free radical metabolites in situ. Cellular targets at risk from free radical damage depend on the nature of the radical and its site of generation.)

 They increases with increasing pollutants in the body and can cause trouble. Free radicals are the cause of diseases like heart, cancer, gout, diabetes, cataract. These not only make us sick, but also accelerate the aging process.

5. Greater risk of air pollution: As compared to non-industrialized areas, the industrialized places are having much higher increasing trends of diseases like various types of cancer, skin ailments, birth defects and chromosomal inequality. Pulmonary, digestive, blood pressure and infectious diseases have increased manifold.


*Note: pics thankfully shared from various sources.                                                           

Science Through Fiction Pages: Acceptable Risk

"A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say."  

Italo Calvino

A bookworm

It happens so often that we prove our self a perfect bookworm when we communicate so much with the subject that the book becomes a reporting page with all the allied branches of human knowledge converging to, in a particular time and space of ours.

Acceptable Risk  

A 1994 Robin Cook's best selling medical thriller, which narrates the story of a young researcher isolating a stunningly effective anti-depressant from a mould first uncovered over 200 years ago. But there is more to the drug than anyone could have imagined....

 And when we love some subject, then the book becomes classic of it's own kind as it starts saying through our inscriptions on the same very pages of it !!

Some other source of alkaloid in nature

A curiosity took me to see Chem. Abstr. 1961,16915p and 1964, 60, 3945 p to know that this D-Lysergamide whose molecular formula is C₂₀H₂₅N₃O

^{And these chemical actually mimic the brain actions causing hallucination and delusions, which also found in :}

^{# Ipomea tricolor (Syn. I. violaceae) morning glory, family Convolvulaceae. Ergot alkaloid in seeds, producing psychosis like state.}

^{# Ergot disease of rye due to fungus Claviceps purpurea, may cause....}

^{# Ergotism in humans} 

The mystery molecule

The book amazes most as we find that: 
the molecular structure of the central character of this novel on a super computer by a new structural software, which reveals that:

Four ringed structural core of the compound, with five side chains, one was tetra cyclic and resembled LSD, another had two rings and resembled drug called Scopolamine. The last three resembled the brain's major neurotransmitters: norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin.

Structural details of Central Nervous System of humans, mid brain highlighted

 ^{Our central Nervous system
And of course when it comes to Central Nervous System, brain and out of it's three major parts: Prosencephalon, Mesencephalon and Rhombencephalon;  
Mid brain i.e. Mesencephalon is focused in the story as this part deals with Reflex and Instinct.}

A Neuron body and mid brain in detail which controls the instinct and reflexes

^{Our mid brain is a mystery place}

<sup>Perhaps the young researchers have had the 'Shakes' belief that 'body can achieve, what mind can conceive'. 

Between the synapses of Neuron lies the chemical code transaction and this was the place where LSD mimics the brain. 

Extremely amazing cells are Neuron as they conduct electrical impulses up to synapses. 100 A° thickness of the neuron cell bears 70 to 90 millivolt of resting potential which is equal to 100,000 volt per centimeter. Amazing bio insulator is the plasma membrane.</sup>

<sup>Well, mid brain is going to play a major role here as this is also the part of brain of our ancestors of Jurassic period, need less to say that we humans are the carriers of Reptilians brain structure. 

So reptilian traits are going to be enhanced in this story due to this intake of chemical being tested on them self....as this is the part which deals with Instinct and Reflexes.</sup>

				Some relevant references of those times Science In The News: Voice Of America: 5th March 1996, Tuesday  Tobacco and Asbestos are known to cause Cancer. Earlier studies found that Beta Carotine (which breaks in to Vitamin A in our digestive system) have preventive effect in such cases only when taken in natural form, not in the form of pills. So isolation from the fungus extract, the pure form of LSD-25 was sure as going to cause a havoc in the story..........this way or that !! Some relevant references of those times  Science In The News: Voice Of America: 5th March 1996: Tuesday Food and Drug Administration (USA) approved a synthetic 'fat substitute' developed by Proctor and Gamble scientist after 20 years of research studies, altering the molecular structure of Sugar, adding fat in it's side chain, recommending to use as snacks (with potato chips), named Olestra (derived from Olein), 30 grams of which may give 10 grams of fat (vitamin A,D,E,K to be added along with), passing through human system as Carbose without recognizing and storing (by body) it as fat. But alarming is this human endeavor as: certain studies say it may cause stomach pain and mild diarrhea and further warned ----it may cause heart disease and cancer. All kind of possible alarming hazards were put aside by the team of these young researchers in this book. Kim (she) and Edward (he); Central human characters from the book: They identified their identical identities, but the mould which molded their destinies on unidentical tracks. The end of the story:  Fallacy/Irony/Tragedy........hard to choose from !!

And if I were Kim and Edward, both characters of this book 'Acceptable Risk', I had to put my feelings in a poem as below to express myself:

Someday
I would crumble down

Due my own sins,

And it's sheer pressure

Will cause me to

Turn in to the matter

----Like white dwarfs

----In to the dark matter

----To become a part of the universe
----Which is 90 percent

----Yet unseen !!

(Anjani)

Molecular structure of alkaloid D-Lysegamide

Notes related:

Dr. Robin Cook: is an American physician and novelist who writes about medicine and topics affecting public health. To date, he has explored issues such as organ donation, genetic engineering, fertility treatment, in - vitro fertilization, research funding, managed care, medical malpractice, medical tourism, drug research, and organ transplantation.^[8] 
Some notes about or by author: # I joke that if my books stop selling, I can always fall back on brain surgery," he says. "But I am still very interested in it. If I had to do it over again, I would still study medicine. I think of myself more as a doctor who writes, rather than a writer who happens to be a doctor." He explained the popularity of his works thus: "The main reason is, we all realize we are at risk. We're all going to be patients sometime," he says. "You can write about great white sharks or haunted houses, and you can say I'm not going into the ocean or I'm not going in haunted houses, but you can't say you're not going to go into a hospital.^[7]
# Cook says he chose to write thrillers because the forum gives him "an opportunity to get the public interested in things about medicine that they didn't seem to know about. I believe my books are actually teaching people."^[8]
# The author admits he never thought that he would have such compelling material to work with when he began writing fiction in 1970. "If I tried to be the writer I am today a number of years ago, I wouldn't have very much to write about. But today, with the pace of change in biomedical research, there are any number of different issues, and new ones to come," he says.^[7]

Exploring Lost Places: Indus Valley Civilization

The Indus Valley Civilization (IVC)  
was a Bronze Age civilization (3300–1300 BCE; mature period 2600–1900 BCE) located in the western region of South Asia, and spread over what are now Pakistan, northwest and western India, eastern Afghanistan, and southeastern Iran. Flourishing in the Indus River basin, the civilization extended east into the Ghaggar-Hakra River valley and the upper reaches Ganges-Yamuna Doab; it extended west to the Makran coast of Balochistan, north to northeastern Afghanistan and south to Daimabad in Maharashtra. The civilization was spread over some 1,260,000 km², making it the largest ancient civilization.

The Indus Valley is one of the world's earliest urban civilizations, along with its contemporaries, Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. At its peak, the Indus Civilization may have had a population of well over five million. Inhabitants of the ancient Indus river valley developed new techniques in handicraft (carnelian products, seal carving) and metallurgy (copper, bronze, lead, and tin). The civilization is noted for its cities built of brick, roadside drainage system, and multistoried houses.

Cities: A sophisticated and technologically advanced urban culture is evident in the Indus Valley Civilization making them the first urban centres in the region. The quality of municipal town planning suggests the knowledge of urban planning and efficient municipal governments which placed a high priority on hygiene, or, alternatively, accessibility to the means of religious ritual.

Trade through shallow harbors located at the estuaries of rivers : There was an extensive maritime trade network operating between the Harappan and Mesopotamian civilizations as early as the middle Harappan Phase, with much commerce being handled by "middlemen merchants from Dilmun" (modern Bahrain and Failaka located in the Persian Gulf). Such long-distance sea trade became feasible with the innovative development of plank-built watercraft, equipped with a single central mast supporting a sail of woven rushes or cloth.

Several coastal settlements like Sotkagen-dor (astride Dasht River, north of Jiwani), Sokhta Koh (astride Shadi River, north of Pasni), and Balakot (near Sonmiani) in Pakistan along with Lothal in India testify to their role as Harappan trading outposts. Shallow harbors located at the estuaries of rivers opening into the sea allowed brisk maritime trade with Mesopotamian cities.

The collapse of civilization: Around 1800 BCE, signs of a gradual decline began to emerge, and by around 1700 BCE, most of the cities were abandoned.

A possible natural reason for the IVC's decline is connected with climate change that is also signalled for the neighbouring areas of the Middle East: The Indus valley climate grew significantly cooler and drier from about 1800 BCE, linked to a general weakening of the monsoon at that time. Alternatively, a crucial factor may have been the disappearance of substantial portions of the Ghaggar Hakra river system. A tectonic event may have diverted the system's sources toward the Ganges Plain, though there is complete uncertainty about the date of this event, as most settlements inside Ghaggar-Hakra river beds have not yet been dated. 

The actual reason for decline might be any combination of these factors. New geological research is now being conducted by a group led by Peter Clift, from the University of Aberdeen, to investigate how the courses of rivers have changed in this region since 8000 years ago, to test whether climate or river reorganizations are responsible for the decline of the Harappan. A 2004 paper indicated that the isotopes of the Ghaggar-Hakra system do not come from the Himalayan glaciers, and were rain-fed instead, contradicting a Harappan time mighty "Sarasvati" river.
Urban civilization gradually moved to Gangetic plains: A research team led by the geologist Liviu Giosan of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution also concluded that climate change in form of the easterward migration of the monsoons led to the decline of the IVC. The team's findings were published in PNAS in May 2012. According to their theory, the slow eastward migration of the monsoons across Asia initially allowed the civilization to develop. The monsoon-supported farming led to large agricultural surpluses, which in turn supported the development of cities. The IVC residents did not develop irrigation capabilities, relying mainly on the seasonal monsoons. As the monsoons kept shifting eastward, the water supply for the agricultural activities dried up. The residents then migrated towards the Ganges basin in the east, where they established smaller villages and isolated farms. The small surplus produced in these small communities did not allow development of trade, and the cities died out.

Indra-the god of rains: 
Most loved god of most old book ( Rig Veda) of Indian civilization:
As we find that mountain, rains, rivers have altered the course of life and in turn the whole set of civilization in such a great way that such vast cities of metropolitan structure (like Mumbai, India of today) deserted their habitation for all, a setback to then urban life style, loss of trade resulting in the migration of rich urban population to Gangetic plains and rest of poor population receded to villages. The pattern in settlement of IVC and Gangetic plain region have no difference.
Indra, the god of rains and thunderstorm is most revered god in the Rig Veda seems very justified.

1. Indra: the king of gods in Rig Veda: Indra (Devanagari: इन्द्र) or Śakra is the leader of the Devas or gods and Lord of Svargalok or heaven in Hindu mythology. He is the God of war, the god of thunderstorms. His weapon is the bolt (vajra). Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda. He is the twin brother of Agni and hence said to be born of Dyaus Pitar (Father Heaven) and Prithvi Matar (Mother Earth). He is also mentioned as an Aditya, a son of Aditi. His home is situated on Mount Meru.
2. Origins of Indra:  Aspects of Indra as a deity are cognate to other Indo-European gods; they are either thunder gods such as Thor, Perun, and Zeus, or gods of intoxicating drinks such as Dionysos. The name of Indra (Indara) is also mentioned among the gods of the Mitanni, a Hurrian speaking people who ruled northern Syria from ca.1500BC-1300BC .

Janda (1998:221) suggests that the Proto-Indo-European (or Graeco-Aryan) predecessor of Indra had the epithet *trigw-welumos "smasher of the enclosure" (of Vritra, Vala) and diye-snūtyos "impeller of streams" (the liberated rivers, corresponding to Vedic apam ajas "agitator of the waters"), which resulted in the Greek gods Triptolemos and Dionysos.

Vedic Indra corresponds to Verethragna of the Zoroastrian Avesta as the noun verethragna- corresponds to Vedic vrtrahan-, which is predominantly an epithet of Indra. The word vrtra-/verethra- means "obstacle". Thus, vrtrahan-/verethragna- is the "smiter of resistance". Vritra as such does not appear in either the Avesta or in 9th-12th century books of Zoroastrian tradition. Since the name 'Indra' appears in Zoroastrian texts as that of a demon opposing Truth (Vd. 10.9; Dk. 9.3; Gbd. 27.6, 34.27)!> Zoroastrian tradition has separated both aspects of Indra.
3. Indra's Bow: In Hindu mythology, the rainbow is called Indra's Bow (Sanskrit: indradhanushya इंद्रधनुष).
4. Status and function: In the Rig Veda, Indra is the king of the gods and ruler of the heavens. Indra is the god of thunder and rain and a great warrior, a symbol of courage and strength. He leads the Deva (the gods who form and maintain Heaven) and the elements, such as Agni (Fire), Varuna (Water) and Surya (Sun), and constantly wages war against the opponents of the gods, the demon-like Asuras. As the god of war, he is also regarded as one of the Guardians of the directions, representing the east. As the favourite 'national' god of the Vedic Indians, Indra has about 250 hymns dedicated to him in the Rigveda.
5. Indra, Anthropomorhism: Scholars differ about the phenomenon which Indra represents. According to Max Műller Indra is the sun-god dispelling nocturnal darkness and pouring floods of light. Roth holds the view that Indra is the god of thunderstorm. Benfey regards Indra as the god of rainy sky. Grassmann taken him as the god of bright sky. Myrintheus identifies Indra with Dyaus. According to E. D. Perry Indra is the same as Greek Zeus and the Italian Jupiter. Macdonell and Keith are of opinion that Indra represents thunderstorm which brings down rain to the earth. Hopkins is of opinion that Indra represents lightning itself. Yãska's own view, that Indra or Vãyu as the deity of middle region represents the lightning in conflict with the clouds, supports the view of Hopkins. Indra as a god of thunderstorm representing lightning could legitimately be accompanied with Rudra, Maruts and Saramã. Indra is said to have pierced the mountains. They are described to move hither and thither like spotted deer. The clouds flying in air are fancied as atmospheric mountains with wings. At the time of Indra,s birth cows bellow.. This bellowing of cows refers to the roaring of clouds when lightning flashes.

picture courtesy:National Geographic