The reason of Parasara's attack upon the Rakshasas is given in a legend in the Mahabharata. King Kalmashapada, meeting with Sakti (Parasara's father) in a narrow path in a forest, wished him to get out of his way. This the sage refused to do; whereupon the king thrashed him with his whip; in return Sakti cursed him, and he became a cannibal Rakshas. When in this form, the king killed and ate Sakti and all the other sons of Vasishtha. Sakti's wife being pregnant at the time of his death, Parasara was born soon after and brought up with his grandfather. When he grew up, he commenced the slaughter of the Rakshasas, but was restrained by Vasishtha, Pulastya, and others.

3. PULAHA.

This Rishi does not figure largely in Hindu mythology. He married a daughter of Daksha named Kshama (Patience), by whom he had three sons.

4. KRATU.

Kratu is no more widely known than Pulaha. He married Sannati (Humility), another daughter of Daksha, by whom he had "sixty thousand Balakhilyas, pigmy sages no bigger than the joint of the thumb; chaste, pious, and resplendent as the rays of the sun." [**]

5. ANGIRAS.

Angiras is famed as the author of several hymns of Rig-Veda. He first married Smriti (Memory), by

whom he had four daughters, and afterwards he married Swaddha (Oblation) and Sati, also Daksha's daughters. His so-called daughters, the Pratyangirasa Bichas, are thirty-five verses addressed to presiding divinities. There is some ambiguity in the use of his name; it comes from the same root as Agni, of which deity it is used as an epithet; it is also used of Agni's father, and is the name of a son of Agneya, Agni's daughter. Angiras is supposed to have been associated with Bhrigu in introducing fire-worship into India.

6. MARICHI.

Marichi is better known through his descendants than from any work of his own, his most illustrious child being Kasyapa, as a son of whom Vishnu came, in his incarnation as a dwarf. Amongst Kasyapa's thirteen wives were Diti and Aditi, who by him became the mothers of gods. "There were twelve celebrated deities in a former age called Tushitas, who, on the approach of the present period, or during the reign of the last Manu Chakshusa, said amongst themselves, 'Come, let us quickly enter into the womb of Aditi, that we may be born in the next Manvantara, for thereby we shall again enjoy the rank of gods. Accordingly they were born the sons of Kasyapa, the son of Marichi by Aditi; thence named the twelve Adityas, whose names were Vishnu, Sakra, Aryaman, Dhuti, Tvastri, Pushan, Vivasvat, Savitri, Mitra, Varuna, Ansa, and Bhaga." [**]

An explanation of the fact that gods undergo successive births is found in the "Vayu Purana." In the beginning of the Kalpa, twelve gods, named Jayas, were created by Brahma as his deputies and assistants in