Identifier: indianmythlegend00inmack Title: Indian myth and legend Year: 1913 (1910s) Authors: Mackenzie, Donald Alexander, 1873-1936 Subjects: Hindu mythology Publisher: London, Gresham Contributing Library: Indiana University Digitizing Sponsor: Indiana University

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Text Appearing Before Image: and clouds, and planets and stars, and the spirits also ofProsperity, Religion, Joy, Faith, and Intelligence. Fairiesand elves (Apsaras and Gandharvas) dance and sing thereto sweet music; feats of skill are performed by celestialbattle heroes, auspicious rites are also practised. Divinemessengers come and go in celestial chariots, lookingbright as Soma himself. The heaven of Varuna was constructed by Vishwa-karman (Twashtri) within the sea. Its walls and archesare of pure white, and they are surrounded by celestialtrees, made of sparkling jewels, which always blossomand always bear fruit. In the many-coloured bowersbeautiful and variegated birds sing delightful melodies.In the Assembly House, which is also of pure white,there are many rooms and many seats. Varuna, richlydecked with jewels and golden ornaments and flowers, isthroned there with his queen. Adityas^ wait upon the * Sons of the goddess Aditi. They are attendants of Varuna, their chief, as theMaruts are attendants of Indra.

Text Appearing After Image: << h JH H u MH YAMA, THE KING OF THE DEAD 59 lord of the waters, as also do hooded snakes (Nagas) withhuman heads and arms, and Daityas and Danavas (giantsand demons) who have taken vows and have been re-warded with immortality. All the holy spirits of riversand oceans are there, and the holy spirits of lakes andsprings and pools, and the personified forms of the pointsof the heavens, the ends of the earth, and the greatmountains. Music and dances provide entertainment,while sacred hymns are sung in praise of Varuna. These heavens recall the Grecian Islands of theBlest and the Celtic Otherworld, where eternal summerreigns, trees bear blossoms and fruit continually, and thereis no wasting with age. Indras Assembly House isslightly reminiscent of the Teutonic Valhal, but is reallymore like the gardens of the underworld Hela. TheIndian heroes do not feast on pork like those of Teutonicand Celtic, myth; in the Assembly House of Kuvera, godof wealth, however, fa

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