For example, when describing the Buddha's father, the poet compared him to Indra, who played an important role in Hinduism as a god of war, and his mother to Shachi, who was the daughter of Indra's wife (Life of the Buddha, 58). Furthermore, the prince who relied on the laboratory of a nurse was described as the son of Agni, the Hindu fire god, who relied on the womb of the Devi (Life of the Buddha, 59). This reference really makes one wonder why these names appear so often in the texts of Buddhism, which is clearly a potential rival to Hinduism. A likely case, considering the time in which this epic was composed, was that Buddhism had actively integrated many Indian gods into its mythological systems. This is possible, since the epic was composed in the same atmosphere that gave rise to Mahayana Buddhism (Life of the Buddha, 56), in which some famous deities of Hindu origin actually served as protectors of the Buddha. Another possibility may lie in the Buddha's indifference towards the gods: they are not useful, but they exist (Brodd, 153). The existence of those deities was probably recognized by most Indians and did not conflict with them