27. The sky appeared as an ocean of illusion, burning with the bodies of the warriors like flaming trees, and rolling in surges of the dead bodies of the gods and demons, floating on it like mountains; while the skirts of the earth, seemed as forest, made by the clubs and lances and spears, and many other weapons incessantly falling upon them. 28. The horizon was surrounded by the big and impenetrable line of demoniac bodies, resembling the chain of Sumeru mountains girding the earth; while the earth itself resembled the ocean filled with the mountainous bodies of fallen warriors, and towers of the celestial cities blown down by the winds. 29. The sky was filled with violent sounds, and the earth and its mountains, were washed by torrents of blood; the blood-sucking goblins danced on all sides, and filled the cavity of the world with confusion. 30. The dreadful warfare of the gods and Titans, resembled the tumults which rage through the endless space of the world, and that rise and fall with the vicissitudes of pleasure and pain, which it is incessantly subject to. (_i.e._ The world is a field of continued warfare of good and evil, like the battle-field of the gods and demons). CHAPTER XXIX. DEFEAT OF THE DEMONS. Argument. The Demons elated with the pride of their bodily strength, are at last foiled and put to flight by the gods. Vasishtha continued:—In this manner, the energetic and murderous Asuras, repeated their attacks and waged many wars with the gods. 2. They carried on their warfare sometimes by fraud and often by their aggressiveness; and frequently after a truce or open war was made with the gods. They sometimes took themselves to flight, and having recruited their strength, they met again in the open field; and at others they lay in ambush, and concealed themselves in their subterranean caves. 3. Thus they waged their battle for five and thirty years against the celestials, by repeatedly flying and withdrawing themselves from the field, and then reappearing in it with their arms. 4. They fought again for five years, eight months and ten days, darting their fire arms, trees and stones and thunders upon the gods. 5. Being used to warfare for so long a period, they at last grew proud of their superior strength and repeated successes, and entertained the desire of their final victory. 6. Their constant practice in arms made them sure of their success, as the nearness of objects casts their reflection in the mirror. (Constant application makes one hopeful of success). 7. But as distant objects are never reflected in the glass, so the desire for any thing, is never successful without intense application to it. 8. So when the desires of the demons Dáma and others, became identified with their selves, their souls were degraded from their greatness, and confined to the belief of the desired objects.