¹⁴⁵ The Hindus have received their religion through revelation, the Vedas. They hold that the Vedas are without beginning and end. It may sound ludicrous how a book can be, without beginning or end. But by the Vedas no books are meant. They mean the accumulated treasury of spiritual laws discovered by different persons in different times. Just as the law of gravitation existed before its discovery land would exist if all humanity forgot it, so with the laws that govern the spiritual world. The moral, ethical and spiritual relation between souls and souls and between individual spirits and the Father all spirits were there before their discovery and would remain even if we forget them. The discoverers of these laws are called Rishis and they are honored by the Hindus. CHAPTER XLIII. THE PREPARATION OF THE DANAVAS FOR THE BATTLE. Vaishampayana said:—O sinless one, thereupon, hearing of the fear from Vishnu, the Daityas and Dānavas, irrepressible in battle, began to make preparations for war on a great scale (1). Being desirous of a battle the Dānava Maya ascended a golden car as the sun rises over the mount Meru. It had four strong wheels twelve hundred cubits in circumference, could go anywhere, contained many huge weapons, was filled with the tinkling of small bells, was matted with leopard skins, adorned with jewels and gold, artificial figures of animals and various collections of birds, contained many celestial weapons and quivers, had the sound like the muttering of clouds, had beautiful axles, was the best of the most excellent cars, was filled with beautiful nests, and mountain-like clubs. It was huge like the very ocean itself, and its joints were adorned with golden Keyuras and bracelets. Its poles were made of gold and it was adorned with huge pennons and flags. It looked like the mount Mandāra when the sun rises over it, like the prince of elephants and the ocean. It contained thousands of bears and the sound of its wheels was like the roaring of the ocean. It was effulgent, could course in the sky and strike the cars of the enemies. The Dānava Tāra got upon a most excellent iron car. It was two miles in dimension, was huge like a collection of mountains, was black like red collyrium and was made of strong and well seasoned iron. It had eight wheels, axles and poles and was dark like an ember. Its sound was like the roaring of an ocean and its windows were covered with iron nets. It contained iron Parighas, Kshepanyas, clubs, Prāsas, maces, various other wooden weapons, Tomaras and Parashwadas. It was a dread to the enemies and was drawn by a thousand of mules huge like the mount Mandara. On its flag there was an emblem of a crow (2-12). Being highly enraged and taking up a club Virochana stood before the army like a mountain with shining summits (13). The Dānava Hayagriva, the repressor of the hostile armies, began