Gods and Saints of the Great Bralnnaiia. 39 



In the ordinar}" account of the gods' strife \\ith the demons there 

 is a monotony of phrase and idea, which renders a detailed de- 

 scription unnecessary. 1 They contended for the sun, 5. 5. 15; won 

 worlds by sapha (= sain-ap) 11. 5. 5 and 15. 11. 5; gods and seers 

 by different means got to heaven, 8. 5. 7 : the gods got, as, all by 

 the as-farntra (eight-night rite), 22. 11.6; won worlds from demons 

 by the cow-laud, 20. 6. 1, also by abhijit, 20. 8. 1 ; 22. 8. 4. The 

 gods overthrew the citadels of the demons who pursued the wast- 

 ing da}- of sacrifice, 12. 3. 14. At one time the gods were beaten 

 by the demons and took refuge with the Creator. He offered them 

 the god-citadel, deva-pur, and they secured safet}- by entering it. 

 One ^^•ho is pursued (bewitched) by another should sacrifice with 

 the rite called devapur. Then one gets to the god-citadel and is 

 not conquered, (read astytyai), 22. 17. 2 (cf. abhicaranlya, 8. 1. 1). 

 Cf. TS. 7. 2. 5. 4 ; TB. 1. 7. 7. 5 ; and " Indra"s house of refuge " (belowj. 

 The gods on arriving in heaven " were afraid of (their own) igno- 

 rance " but dissipated it b}- a Saman called "well-known,"' 5. 7. 11. 

 They performed a rite, A\'ishing, " ma}- we sit in heaven " before 

 the}- could get there, 23. 19. 2 (cf. the talpyas, who share the gods' 

 couch, 23. 4. 5; 25. 1. 10 j. 



One tale, brief but vital, breaks the monotony of these narrations. 

 Once, as the gods and demons struggled together, the gods that 

 fell failed to rise again, though the demons came to life ; but by 

 means of a Saman (luckily) called "not hurt" they discovered how 

 to come to life again, as the Saman carries with it the implication 

 "may we not l^e hurt," 12. 5. 23. It is, however, said here that 

 the gods discovered the Saman only by practising austerity, so 



^ Tlie same is true of wliat tlie gods won by this or that rite, as 

 '• one Avoiid after another." 10. 12. 3. by n/ttficinas, though here too inimor- 

 talitv is won by the liudhana. Other cases are 2. 6. 2, ^von heaven 1)}" 

 vMiiti-^ ?). 2. 2. idem; 4. 2. 2, heaven by prdyatftya: 8. 3. G, Sadliyas 

 won heaven by midday, pressing (ib. 4. 1. and fetching Soma, below^ ; 

 world liy s.itohvltatl. IB. 11. 9 : 12. 7 ; 14. 4 : Ijrhat, 18. 2. 8; middaj-, 

 19- 11. <;: paruka. 21. 8. 2 and 6: pra and 2!dvcit. 14. 3. 24 and 9. 40; 

 sct}k7(it. 15. 3. .36 ; earth, air. heaven, b^^ butter, cows, soma. 17. 13. 18. 

 Originall}' the range of the gods" metres was only from one to seven 

 syllables : that of the demons from nine to fifteen : for then the gods 

 (meaning their metres) "W'ere littler and the demons greater. But the 

 Creator, in Anustubh form, took the side of the gods, so they got syllables 

 from the demons and conquered. 12. 13. 27 f . Cf . •• littler '" metres. TS. 

 6. 6. 11. 5: IS. 8. 74 f. 



