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In the mythological group we have two poems telling of the history of Krsna, as given in the great Bhagavata Purana.  The first one, “Die Weltliebessonne im Palast des Gottes Krischna,” p. 246, gives the legend of the god’s interview with the Sage Narada (Bhagav. Nirnaya Sag.  Press, Bombay 1898, Lib. x. c. 69; tr.  Dutt, Calcutta, 1895, pp. 298-302) with a close somewhat different from that of the Sanskrit original.  The second one narrates the romance of the poor Brahman Sudaman, who pays a visit to the god and is enriched by the latter’s generosity (Bhagav. x. c. 80, 81; tr.  Dutt, pp. 346-355.  For the Hindostanee version in the Premsagar, see Wollheim, op. cit. i. p. 421).  In the Sanskrit the story is not so ideal as in Rueckert’s poem.  The poor Brahman is urged on to the visit, not by affection for the playmate of his youth, but rather by the prosaic appeals of his wife; yet, though the motive be different, the result is the same.  Besides these, we find the legend of Kama, the Hindu Cupid, burned to ashes by Siva’s third eye for attempting to interrupt the god’s penance, p. 266 (Ramay. i. c. 23, Kumaras. iii. v. 70 seq.), and Rueckert manages to introduce and to explain all the epithets, Kamadeva, kandarpa, smara, manmatha, hrcchaya, ananga, which Sanskrit authors bestow upon their Cupid.  We also have legends of the cause of the eclipses of sun and moon, p. 365, of the origin of caste, p. 347 (Manu i. 87), of the fabulous mountain Meru in Jambudvipa, p. 285, of the quarrelsome mountains Innekonda and Bugglekonda, p. 321 (Ritter Erdkunde, iv. 2, pp. 472, 473).  The winding course of the Indus is explained by a typical Hindu saint-story, p. 335, similar to that told of the Yamuna and Rama in the Visnu Purana (tr.  Wilson, ed.  Dutt, Calc. 1894, p. 386).

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Many of the poems describe religious customs practised in India.  Of such customs the practice of asceticism in its different forms is one of the most striking and could not fail to engage the poet’s attention.  Thus the peculiar fast known as Candrayana, “moon-penance,” is the subject of a poem, p. 278; so also “Titanische Bussandacht,” p. 283, has for its theme the belief of the Hindus in the supernatural power conferred by excessive penance, as exemplified by the legend of Sakuntala’s birth.  The practice of pancatapas, “the five fires” (Manu, vi. 23.  See Monier Williams, Indian Wisdom, Lond. 1876, p. 105) is the subject of the poem “Des Buessers Laeuterungswahn,” p. 285.  The selfish greed of the Brahmans (cf. Manu, vii. 133, 144; xi. 40) is referred to in two poems on p. 287.  The supposed powers of cintamani, the Hindu wishing-stone, suggested the poem on p. 275 (cf.  Bhartrhari, Vair. 33).  Of other poems of this sort we may mention “Die Gottverehrung des Stammes Karian,” p. 322 (Ritter, Erdk. iv. 1. p. 187), “Vom Genuss der Fruechte nach Dschainas Lehre,” p. 307 (ibid. iv. p. 749), and “Die Schuhe im Tempel Madhuras,” p. 301 (ibid. iv. 2. p. 4).