In the mean time Vishnu had been more successful with Vrinda, the wife of Jalandhara. In the guise of a Brahman, he made a hermitage near her palace, and caused her to dream that she saw her husband's head severed from his body, his flesh eaten by wild animals, and his eyes plucked out by vultures. Distracted with her dream, in a high fever she rushed into the forest, where an ogress met her, ate her mules, and was about to attack her, when the Brahman came to her rescue. On reaching the hermitage, Vishnu induced her to enter, changed himself into the form of her husband, and there they lived together for some time. At length Vrinda, seeing through the disguise, cursed Vishnu, telling him that, as he had wronged Jalandhara, he would himself be wronged, and, having purified herself from her sin, died. Her body was burned, her mother collected the ashes, and threw them into the Ganges. The forest in

which she was burned has ever since borne the name of Vrindavana, [**] near Mount Govardhana.

Jalandhara, hearing of his wife's deception and death, was mad with rage; and, leaving the neighbourhood of Parvati's home, returned to the field of battle. By Sukra's power his dead heroes were restored to life, and a grand final charge was made. At length Siva and Jalandhara personally fight; after a desperate encounter, in which the daitya employs various magical powers, Siva cuts off his head; but it is no sooner severed than it resumes its place. Siva in his extremity summonses to his aid the female forms or energies of the gods, Brahmi, Vaishnavi and the rest, who drink up the blood of the giant, and with their aid Siva succeeds in destroying him, and the gods regain their kingdom and possessions.

Footnotes

^437:* Originally the suras were a class of inferior deities, connected with Surya; afterwards the term was employed to signify the gods generally.

^437:+ Dr. Banerjea, Bengal Magazine, April, 1880.

^438:* Dr. Banerjea, Bengal Magazine, April, 1880.

^439:* Muir, O. S. T., v. 15.

^440:* Muir, O. S. T., iv. 60.

^440:+ The Mahabharata says the asuras were the elder, the gods the younger, sons.

^441:* Kennedy, "Hindu Mythology," p. 457.

^442:* The present Jallander.

^447:* Brindaban.