7 - The story of five ghosts 

Garuda said: 

1. I have heard the story relating to the rite of Vrushotsarga. I wish to be enlightened further upon this topic, for your knowledge is very great. 

The lord said:

2. Now I shall tell you a wonderful dialogue between Santapana and the ghosts on this very point. 

3. There was a brahmana Santapana by name whose sins had been destroyed by penance. Knowing the futility of the world he left home and went to the forest. 

4. Whenever Vaikhanasas, sages and Vratas saw him they bowed to him with respect. Once he went on a pilgrimage. 

5. Though he controlled the outer senses and acted in the prescribed way, he was still dragged by the organs and he slipped in his path. 

6-7. Once in the morn while he was taking bath, he opened his eyes and looked around. He saw a forest full of shrubs, creepers, trees, barks, branches, etc. 

8-9. He saw talas¹, tamålas², priyalas³, panasas⁴, shūparnī⁵, sālas⁶, shakhotas⁷, syandanas⁸, tindukas⁹, sarjas¹⁰, 

1. Borassus Flabellifer.

2. Cinnamemum tamala.

3. Buchanania lanzan.

4. Artocarpus heterophyllus.

5. Gmelina arborea.

6. Shorea robusta.

7. Streblus asper.

8. Ougeinia daibergioides. 

9. Diospyros tomentosa.

10. Vateria indica. 

Arjunas¹, ámras², shleshmatakas³, bibhitakas⁴, pichumardas⁵, Chináchimas, Karkandhus⁶ and Karamkaras⁷. 

1. Terminalia arjuna.

2. Mangifera indica.

3. Cordia mixa.

 4. Terminalia belerica.

5. Azadirachta indica.

            6. Zizyphus nammularia. 

7. Cassia fistula. 

10. All these and other trees were there among which the way could not be seen even by the birds, not to say of men. 

11-12. There in that fierce forest, full of lions, tigers, hyenas, wild oxen, bears, buffaloes, elephants, deer, cobras, monkeys and other animals and also demons and goblins. 

13. Santapana was terrified in his heart and could not decide where to go. Then thinking 'Come what may, he went further. 

14. Hearing the singing of crickets and the hooting of owls, he moved forward about five steps. 

15. There he saw a corpse tied to a banyan tree and five fierce ghosts eating the same. 

16-17. They were rejoicing over their feast by relishing the head-bones, stomach attached to the back, fallen bones of the body, marrow, brain, etc. 

18. Seeing the ghosts who were loudly cracking the bones with their fierce jaws, he was awe-struck in his heart and stopped at once. 

19. When they saw that brahmana in that lonely forest, they ran towards him saying "I first, I first'. 

20. Two of them caught hold of his two arms, two caught hold of his legs and the fifth one caught hold of his head. 

21. Speaking loudly in their own language, 'I shall eat first, I shall eat first’, they got busy in dragging him. 

22. Then, all of a sudden, they went up in the sky. From there they looked down how much flesh was left in the corpse. 

23. They saw the corpse bitten by their jaws. Then they got down and caught hold of the corpse by legs. 

24-26. Thus, taking hold of the body cut by themselves, they went up again in the sky. Then seeing himself being borne in the heaven, the brahmana praised the lord in his mind. "'I bow to lord Vishnu, the holder of discus who is supreme consciousness, who kept away the crocodile by throwing his discus and released the elephant from the noose of crocodile. May he release me from the noose of my actions. 

27. When the kings were captured by Magadha Bhima, the lord got them released so that they might visit Bharga's sacrifice. May he release me from the noose of my activities." 

28. He praised me in his mind and being praised I got up all of a sudden and I went to the place where he was being carried by the ghosts. 

29. Seeing him thus carried away by the ghosts I was surprised and without speaking anything I followed them a while. 

30. Simply by the dint of my presence, O bird, that Brahmana felt the pleasure of riding a palanquin. 

31. Then in the way, I saw Manibhadra going to Meru and winking at him I took the king of Yakshas by my side. 

32. I said to the lord of Yakshas to be active and destroy the ghosts and take away the corpse. 

33. Being instructed thus he took the form of a ghost terrific even to those ghosts. 

34. He stretched his arms besmeared with blood and appeared before the ghosts challenging them. 

35. He struck two with arms, two with legs and one with head and beat the ghosts with severe blows. 

36. They held that corpse bound by hands and legs and began to fight. 

37. They attacked the Yaksha lord with nails, feet and jaws. 

38. But avoiding their attacks, the Yaksha-lord snatched the corpse, as death takes away the breath. 

39. When the corpse was snatched by Yaksha they ran towards him. 

40. As soon as they reached the Yaksha moving in air, the Yaksha vanished immediately. In utter dejection they went to the Brahmana. 

41. As they were going to kill that Brahmana on the mountain they remembered their previous birth. It happened by the glory of my position and by the nobility of the brahmana. 

42. Then they encircled the brahmana and spoke to him reverentially. 

43. Please excuse us to day. They spoke like the echo of the mountain or the turmoil of the stormy sea. 

44. Hearing their words he asked: 'Who are you? Is it simply an illusion, a dream, or a fancy? 

The Chief ghost said:

45. Hear, O brahmana, we shall tell you what you have asked us, O Mahayogin. We are absolved of our sins by seeing you. My name is Paryushita. He is Suchimukha. 

46. The third one is Shighra and the fourth one is Rodha and the fifth one is Lekhaka. 

The Brahmana said:

47-48. Why are these meaningless names borne out by you? Can they be derived from actions performed by you? O ghosts, now tell us the meanings of these names. 

The lord said:

49. Being thus addressed by the brahmana, they replied separately.

Paryushita said:

50. Once, in a month, when Shraddha is performed for the manes, I invited a brahmana to my house. He arrived after I had eaten the part of food out of hunger. 

51.52. Then I gave stale food to that Brahmana when he came. On account of that sin, when I died I became a ghost and got the name Paryushita since I had given him the stale food. 

Suchimukha said:

53. Once an aged woman of the Brahmana caste went to the holy place Bhadravata. 

54-56. The old woman lived with her son aged five years. I being a kshatriya pretender stopped her in wilderness, became a wayside robber and I took her viaticum with clothes along with the dress of her son. I wrapped them around my head and wanted to leave. 

57. I saw the little boy drinking water from a jar. In that wilderness, only that much water was there. I frightened the boy from drinking water and being thirsty myself began to drink from the jar. 

58. The boy died of thirst and the mother who was struck with grief died too, by throwing herself into a dry well. 

59. O Brahmana, by that sin I became a ghost with mouth as small as the hole of a needle and body as huge as a mountain. 

60. Although I get food I cannot eat. Although I burn with hunger my mouth is contracted. 

61. Since in my mouth I have a hole equal to that of a needle I am known as Suchimukha. 

Shighra said:

62. Formerly I was a rich Vaishya and went to a distant country for business. 

63. I was accompanied by a friend who was a partner in business. He was rich but greedy. Then due to bad luck we fared badly in business to the extent that even our capital was lost. 

64. Then we started from there, travelling in a boat. Just as the sun reddened, we began to cross the river. 

65. My friend was tired due to labour, slept in my lap. Then a cruel thought entered into my mind. 

66. I threw my friend sleeping in my lap into the river. Nobody in the boat knew anything about my act. 

67. I got hold of his belongings, jewels, rubies, gold, etc. and returned home. 

68. I kept that all in my house and told his wife: "My brother has been taken away by robbers in the way and robbed of his wealth. 

69-71. I ran away and escaped. Do not weep" She was overwhelmed with grief and burnt herself into the fire. Then seeing my path was without obstruction I returned home gladly. I enjoyed my friend's wealth to my heart's content. Since throwing my friend into the river I returned home quickly, I am called Shighraga. 

Rodhaka said: 

72-73. O Brahmana, formerly I was a Shūdra. By the king's favour I owned a hundred villages. I had old parents and a young brother. 

74. Very soon my brother was estranged from me by a greedy person. I stopped giving him food and clothes. He suffered too much at my hands. 

75-79. My parents gave him something secretly. Whatever they gave him I learnt from my close confidants. Then I bound my parents with iron chains in a deserted temple. Being miserable they ended their life by drinking poison. The boy who was left all alone wandered here and there and expired ultimately. By this sin, O Bråhmaņa I have become ghost. Since I chained my parents I was called Rodhaka. 

Lekhaka said: 

80. Formerly I was a brahmana in Avanti. I was authorised to worship the deities of Bhadra king. There were many images with different names. 

81. On their bodies they wore gold and jewels. While worshipping them an evil thought entered me 

82. Piercing their bodies with an iron-rod I took out jewels from their eyes. 

83. When the king saw the images in that state and their eyes without jewels, he became inflamed like fire. 

84. Then he vowed, O Brahmana and said: "Who-soever las stolen gold and jewels from these images, if known will be killed". 

85-86. Knowing all that, one night, with a sword in hand, I entered the king's palace and struck him dead. I then took jewels and gold and went away at midnight.

87-88. Then in the deep forest, a tiger put on me his nails. Since I had incised the images with iron-rod I was known as Lekhaka. 

The Brahmana said:

89. You have told us facts about your names; now let us know about your way of life as ghosts as well as your food. 

The Ghosts said: 

90-91. We stay where people do not follow the Vedas, where there is no feeling of shame for falsehood, no faith in religion, no sense of discipline, no inclination for forgiveness, no patience and no knowledge. 

92-95. We trouble the person who does not perform Shraddha or Tarpana. 

We eat his flesh and suck his blood. Now hear about our food which is most despicable in the world. Something of this you have already seen. We shall now tell you something unknown to you. Vomiting, waste, cough, urine, and tears-these we eat and drink. Do not ask us further, O Brahmana, we are ashamed to tell you about our food. We are ignorant, in dark, fools and puzzled. Suddenly have we remembered about our previous births. 

96. We are neither humble, nor wild and we know nothing. 

The lord said:

97. When the ghosts were speaking thus and the Brahmana was hearing 

98-99. I showed my form, O Tarkhya. When that Brahmana saw before him the Purusha of his heart, he praised me with hymns and fell prostrate before me. Those ghosts too trembled with eyes wide open in surprise. 

100. Their voice muttered with affection, still they could not speak. "Bow to you who release the cruel from rajas and the stupid from tamas." This being uttered by the brahmana that mountain was adorned with six shining aerial ears moving at my will and attended by celestial beings. 

101. By that Vimana the Brahmana went to my abode along with the five ghosts. The ghosts went to heaven by virtue of their association with the Brahmana. 

102. Living in heaven along with the ghosts that Brahmana Santapana became my famous gana called Vishvaksena. Thus, I have told you everything, O bird. Whoever tells or hears this narrative, O bird, does not become a ghost.