r carried on without an
attempt on the part of these demons to impede its celebration;
and the most renowned saints found it necessary on such occasions
to acknowledge their dependence on the strong arm of the military
class, by seeking the aid of warriors and heroes. The inability
of holy men, who had attained the utmost limit of spiritual
power, to cope with the spirits of evil, and the superiority of
physical force in this respect, is very remarkable.

43. _Vishnu_.

Vishnu, the Preserver, was one of the three gods of the Hindu
Triad. He became incarnate in various forms for the good of
mortals, and is the great enemy of the demons.

14 _Like king Tri[s']anku_.

The story of this monarch is told in the Ramayana. He is there
described as a just and pious prince of the solar race, who
aspired to celebrate a great sacrifice, hoping thereby to ascend
to heaven in his mortal body. After various failures he had
recourse to Vi[s']wamitra, who undertook to conduct the sacrifice,
and invited all the gods to be present. They, however, refused to
attend; upon which the enraged Vi[s']wamitra, by his own power,
transported Tri[s']anku to the skies, whither he had no sooner
arrived than he was hurled down again by Indra and the gods; but
being arrested in his downward course by the sage, he remained
suspended between heaven and earth, forming a constellation in
the southern hemisphere.

45. _Ointment of Usira-root_.

The root of a fragrant grass (_Andropogon muricatum_), from
which a cooling ointment was made.

46. _The very breath of his nostrils_.

Compare Lam. iv. 20. 'The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of
the Lord, was taken.'

47. _God of the flowery shafts_.

The Hindu Cupid, or god of love (Kama), is armed with a bow made
of sugar-cane, the string of which consists of bees. He has five
arrows, each tipped with the blossom of a flower, which pierce
the heart through the five senses; and his favourite arrow is
pointed with the _chita_, or mango-flower.

48. _E'en now in thy unbodied essence lurks The fire of [S']iva's
anger_.

The story is thus told in the Ramayana. Kama (Cupid) once
approached [S']iva that he might influence him with love for his
wife, Parvati. [S']iva happened then to be practising austerities,
and intent on a vow of chastity. He therefore cursed the god of
love in a terrible voice, and at the same time a flash from his
eye caused the god's body to shrivel into ashes. Thus Kama was