Indeed, Indra and his thunder are precisely the property of the warriors. Indra is the warrior ideal and is often invoked before during and after battles. Unlike VaruŠa and Mitra who are the property of the sovereign social functionalities, Indra is the compatriot of the battle weathered. Arjuna is of course the prototypical example of the hero-god-warrior as he himself is often spoken of as a son of Indra.

"Arjuna, as we know represents the warrior ideal. The son or partial incarnation of Indra, he has all the god's qualities and in addition a certain refinement, and sometimes a self-control, which are sadly lacking in his model. Not only have the masters of human weaponry prepared him for his inimitable career, but the gods themselves, when they have upon occasion been visited by the hero in other world, have taken care to provide him with the most marvelous of arms"

Indra can thus be seen as the head of a separate class of warriors who are an integral part of the triadic structure of the Indo-Iranian world. They were separated not only physically, by their raiding activities, but also according to their rituals, goals and overall orientation.

"Warriors were marked off as a separate class, and possessed their own initiations, rituals, skills, pursuits, and ideology--indeed, an entire Weltanschauung all their own."

In addition, one of the ways that they marked this separation was not only through ritual performance (often sacrifice to Indra), but also in the weapons that they wore and the ways that they marked their bodies. "Upon completing his initiation, the young warrior is given characteristic emblems that marked the warrior band: a mace, vagra ( Skt. Vajra = Av. Vazra), the favorite weapon of the warrior god, and a belt or girdle, which signifies his loyalty to the band." Here then, the Vajra comes not simply to symbolize association with Indra, or even simply power. It is instead a social marker that separates young virile men from the rest of society and marks them as a separate and respectable social group.