Hare Krsna,
As I keep meditating on this pastime, my mind is unable to accept that Indra could act independently in the mischief that he is up to. He is not an ordinary living entity. He is the Lord of the devatas (demigods). He is not a lone living entity cut off from the rest of the world, thinking that he is the lord of everything. He has thousands of servants, attendants, advisors, friends, and well-wishers. He has subordinate demigods who report to him. He has spiritual master and great sages as guides. Even if I assume for a moment that he is forgetful of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself and thus picking up a fight with the Lord which will lead to disastrous consequences, aren’t there others around him to remind him what he is getting into and who he is dealing with? Aren’t good counsels not available to Indra? I am sure there are because even the Samvartaka clouds are fearful of what Indra is asking them to do.
“When King Indra ordered the sāṁvartaka and companion clouds to go to Vṛndāvana, the clouds were afraid of the assignment.” (Kṛṣṇa Book, Chapter 25)
Considering all this, I can only see the divine hand of Krsna in this pastime. He is using Indra as an instrument to execute this pastime. This meant that Krsna had to make Indra puffed up of his position and privileges. Through this pastime, Krsna wanted to demonstrate that even the mightiest demigod is subordinate to Him, and that pure devotion to the Lord is more pleasing than ritualistic of the demigods.
Another lesson that I can draw from this is that by dismantling over-reliance on karma-kanda (fruitive activities) rituals and demigod worship, Krsna establishes that pure bhakti is the highest path. This pastime foreshadows the teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu where nama-sankirtana and loving devotion become the primary practice in Kali-yuga.
“Kṛṣṇa has declared in the Bhagavad-gītā that the worshipers of the demigods are not very intelligent. He has also declared that one has to give up all kinds of worship and simply concentrate on Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa’s invoking the anger of Indra and later on chastising him is a clear indication to His devotee that those who are engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness have no need to worship any demigod, even if it is found that the demigod has become angry. Kṛṣṇa gives His devotees all protection, and they should completely depend on His mercy.” ((Kṛṣṇa Book, Chapter 25)
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Krsna Katha 