This thesis entitled “An Analytical Study of Indra’s Roles in Jãtaka Tales” has three objectives: 1) to study Indra's background and his roles, 2) to study Indra in Jãtaka Tales, and 3) to analytically study his roles in Jãtaka Tales. This based on the qualitative research as a research component.

The results of the study were found that the Indra is the personification of the legend, it said to be a great influence on the respected person of religious origin in both Brahma and Buddhism. The changing of belief on Indra was divided into 3 periods: 1) the origin of the mythology of Indra as the god of the first Aryan people in Indus civilization before the Vedas, the Indra is the most prosperous, the creator of the world, god of war, hope for the survival from the cruelty, natural disaster, 2) the period of role changing along with the evolution of Brahmanism, it refers to an identity linking caste of Brahmin and kings by the sacrificial ceremony which is called the Ashvamedha: horse sacrifice for one-hundred times, and it was reduced to a role for entering the religious performance, finally 3) the evolution into god for preserving Buddhism, the importance of Intra basically embraces the virtue, degrading the caste system and reflecting the image of the Bodhisattva’s perfection practice.

The role of Indra in the Jãtaka Tales is different from the original religion as it must follow the meritorious Dhamma such as the seven Vattapada where the immoral behavior is not clearly shown as the Jãtaka Tales pose the strength of the Indra expressing toward the various ethics, a compassionate leader, faithful follower, Buddha’s supported follower, the devoted ancestor, honest husband, the righteous father, the social worker, the gratitude children, humble relative to the adult, becoming a good friend to practitioner, the personification as the law of karma, the Bodhisattva practice perfection to reflect the past stories that appeared in the twenty-one Jãtaka Tales.

As far as the above mentioned term of supporting the principles of Buddhism is concerned, the concept of Indra has confirmed the essence of human duties in two roles: 1) one who is worthy of receiving help; he must perform one’s duties with fully virtue, goodness, and capacity, and 2) one who provides helping; he has goodness in oneself as pushing to help with duties through various methods. The Indra’s identity was combined by the research frameworks into three aspects which can be concluded that: 1) in characteristics; it consists of the four important roles as the judge to solve the ethical problem; the helpers protect the one who practice Dhamma, the supporters prevent Buddhist, the strictly Buddhist and the influential leader, 2) in morality; it is said to be a driving force to show the identity role such as the seven Vattapada, the Devadhamma 2, the ten kinds of Kusala-kammapada, generosity, selflessness, morality, loving-kindness, the control of the six senses, abandon the cause of ruin, and 3) in advantage; it is conducive to Buddhist factors and group of people e.g., the Triple Gems, the families, the communities until the societies from the dedication oneself to perform public benefit, the leader of deities until human beings which is endorsed by the Buddha’s words about his conduct in the many scriptures. According to these reasons, the researcher requires to study why Indra performed these roles in Buddhism.

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