"He whose magic powers
From earth withhold the genial showers;
Of mortal men the foe malign,
And rival of the race divine;
Whose demon hosts from age to age
With Indra war unceasing wage;
Who, times unnumbered crushed and slain,
Is ever newly born again,
And evermore renews the strife
In which again he forfeits life."

The battle is described at length; in which we have a graphic description of the commencement of the rainy season, with the severe thunderstorms which usually accompany this change of the seasons. At last the conflict is over:

"And soon the knell of Vritra's doom
Was sounded by the clang and boom
Of Indra's iron shower.
Pierced, cloven, crushed, with horrid yell,
The dying demon headlong fell
Down from his cloud-built tower."

As a result of the victory of the god, the rains descend and the earth is made fruitful:

"Now bound by Sushna's spell no more,
The clouds discharge their liquid store;
And long by torrid sunbeams baked
The plains by copious showers are slaked;
The rivers swell, and seawards sweep
Their turbid torrents broad and deep.
The peasant views with deep delight,
And thankful heart, the auspicious sight.
His leafless fields, so sere and sad,
Will soon with waving crops be glad;
And mother Earth, now brown and bare,
A robe of brilliant green will wear."

After this blessing has been received, the sun shines, and earth again is bright; the gods come with their congratulations to their king, and men present their thanksgivings.

Such was Indra in ancient times; and though worshipped still, he occupies a very inferior position in the present age. As mentioned previously, according to the teaching of the later books, his rule over the gods continues for a hundred divine [**] years; at the expiration of which time he may be superseded by another god, or even by a man. The Puranas teach that, in each age of the world, a different being has enjoyed this position. In the "Vishnu Purana" [*+] is the following story of a man raising himself to the throne of Indra.

There was a war between the gods and demons; both parties inquired of Brahma, which would be victorious. Brahma replied, "The side for which Raji (an earthly king) shall take up arms." The demons called first upon Raji to invoke his aid. He promised to assist them provided they would make him their Indra or king. They could not promise this, as Prahlada their Indra's term of office was not yet expired. The same