Described as tantalisingly beautiful, proud and kind, she is the daughter of the asura Puloman and the consort of the king of the devas, Indra.

When Indra was away performing his penance for the slaying of Vritasura, Nahusha, a mortal king of the Lunar dynasty, was chosen as the ruler of heaven.

The term finds usage in the Vedas with dual significance: firstly, as the proper name for Indrani and secondly, as a generic expression denoting the strength inherent in the divine entities, particularly associated with Indra.

[4] David Kinsley, a professor known for his research on Hindu goddesses, believed that the word Shachi is suggestive of the later concept of Shakti, the personification of power.

[12] Indologist John Muir states that in the Rigveda, she is invoked multiple times and is mentioned with other goddesses in the first three of these passages.

[13] David Kinsley states that many of the goddesses in the early texts are named after their husbands and have no independent character of their own.

[7] Scholars note that the Aitareya Brahmana mentions Prasaha and Sena as the wives of Indra, but both of them are identified with Indrani.

[5] In the later Hindu texts, including the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, as well as the Puranas, Indrani is more commonly referred to as Shachi, and is the daughter of Puloman, an asura (demonic figure) son of the sage Kashyapa and his wife Danu.

[14] The Bhagavata Purana mentions that Indra and Shachi had three sons named Jayanta, Rishabha, and Midhusha;[7] some other texts include Nilambara and Ribhus.

[11] Author James G. Lochtefeld comments that Shachi is not a major figure, and this may reflect Indra's diminished status in later Hindu mythology.

[16] In the story, according to the Mahabharata, Indra once committed Brahmahatya (Brahminicide) by killing Vritra, after which he set out incognito to perform a penance.

During this period, the devas appointed Nahusha, a powerful mortal ruler of the Lunar dynasty, to be the king of heaven.

[17] He soon became proud of his power and desired Shachi, but she refused his amorous advances and sought protection under Brihaspati, Indra's teacher.

[14][23][a] The Southern Indian text Kanda Purana narrates that when the asura Surapadman desired Shachi, Indra appointed the god Shasta as her guard.

[28] The Puranas attest that Shachi owned the Parijata tree (Nyctanthes arbor-tristis), which was one of the jewels emerging from the Samudra Manthan (the churning of the ocean).

Shachi considered Satyabhama to be inferior because of her mortal background and while introducing the latter to Aditi, she didn't treat her properly.

[31][32] According to later chapters in the Devi Mahatmyam, the Matrikas appeared again to defeat Raktabija, a demon with the power to multiply himself whenever a drop of his blood reached the ground.

The text Amshumadbhed-agama contains a similar account, according to which she should be shown as a joyful young lady, decorated with all kinds of ornaments and carrying a utpala flower (Nymphaea nouchali) in her hand.

[43] According to myth, when a Tirthankara is born, Indra descends with his consort Indrani, riding the great elephant Airavata, to celebrate the event.

[45][43] Born to asura Vemacitrin, Sujā went through a long process and was reborn over many lifetimes to purify herself and become Śakra's wife.