50 - The mandate to the Yaksha Duhsaha. 

Brahmá next created the nins Sages, Bhruigu, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Angiras, Maric'hi, Daksha, Atri and Vasishtha-and also Rudra, Sankalpa and Dharma-All these were all-wise and devoid of passions-Brahmá in anger created a being half male, half females who at his order divided himself into many male and femals beings. 

Brahma then created the Manu Svayambhuva and his wife S'hatarupa--They had two sons Priya-vrata and Uttána-páda, and also two daughters. Ruc'hi married one daughter Ruiddhi and begat Yajna and Dakshina. 

Daksha married the other daughter Prasúti and begot 24 daughters, choose names are mentioned, and who became Dharma's wives, and also the other daughters whose names are mentioned, and who became the wives of the other sages and of Agni and the Pitruis--The children of these daughters are mentioned. 

A-dharma and his offspring are mentioned, Naraka, Bhaya, Mruityu etc., - The actions of Mruityu's sons are explained-- Chief among them Duhsaha--to him Brahma assigned a dwelling and raiment, a long catalogue of bad deeds as nourishment, and certain places and times nor his success, but excluded a list of other persons and places from is influence. 

Márkandeya spoke.

1 Then while he was meditating, mankind was begotten in his mind, together with their occupations, and implements

2 which were produced from his body. Spirits in bodily form* were produced from the limbs of him, the wise god. All those whom I have already mentioned came into existence.

3 All created beings from the gods down to those whose condition is stationary are known to be subject to the three qualities: † such was the constitution of created things, immoveable and moveable. 

                  * Kshetra-jna.

                  † Goodness, passion, and ignorance.

4 When all that offspring of him, the wise one, did not increase, he created other mind-born sons like unto himself, viz.

5 Bhruigu, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, and Angiras, Marich'i, Daksha, and Atri, and the mind-born Vasishtha †† - these were the

                  †† For Vasishtham road Vasishtham. 

6 nine sons of Brahma, they are positively mentioned in the Puráņas. Next Brahmá further created Rudra, whose birth was from

7 his soul when it was angry, and Sankalpa, and Dharma who was begotten before all the preceding sons.  And those who with their sons and other relatives were first

8 created by the Self-existent, felt no attachment for the worlds but showed disregard and were composed in mind. The all knew the future, they were free from passion, free from envy. 

9 When they thus showed disregard at the creation of the worlds, the high-souled Brahmá grew very wrathful; then

10 was produced there a male* like to the sun, possessed of an immense body, the body being half man's and half woman's

                  * Purusha.

11 “Divide thyself” said the god, and then disappeared. And he is being thus accosted separated the female and male natures; and he divided the male nature into eleven parts.

12 Then the divine lord divided the male and female natures into many parts with men, gentle and cruel, calm, black and White.

13 Next the lord Brahmá became the guardian of his offspring by creating the first Manu Sváyambhuva, † begotten

                  † The son of Syayam-bhú (the Self-existent Brahma). 

14 from and like unto himself, O bráhman, †† and the woman S'hata-rupá, who was cleansed from blemishes through austerities. The divine and mighty Manu Sváyambhuva took her

                  ¶ For dvijah read dvija?

15 for his wife. And through him her husband Shata-rúpá brought forth two sons, Priya-vrata and Uttána-páde, famed

16 through their own actions, and two daughters also, Ruiddhi and Prasúti. Then their father gave Prasúti in marriage to

 17 Daksha and Řuiddhi to Ruch'i § of yore. The Prajá-pati Rúchi took his wife, and from them both a son Yajna was born and a daughter Dakshiņá, || illustrious Sir; these two then

                  § He is one of the Prajá-patis. 

         || This verse must refer to Ruchi, as Daksha's progeny is mentioned verse 19. 

18 became husband and wife, and Yajna begat of Dakshina twelve sons; the glorious sons of Yajna and Dakshiņá were

19 the gods well known as the Yámas in the epoch of Manu Sváyambhuva. And Daksha Moreover, begat twenty and four daughters of

20 Prasúti; hear also from me their names in order-Shraddha (Faith), Lakshmi (Good Fortune), Dhruiti (Constancy), Tushti (Satisfaction), Pushti (Nourishment), Medhá (Mental Vigour),

21 and Kriyá (Action), Buddhi (Intelligence), Lajjá (Modesty), Vapus (Bodily Beauty), Shánti (Tranquillity), Siddhi (Perfection), and Kirti (Fame) the thirteenth. The lord Dharma took these daughters of Daksha for his wives. 

22 Besides them and younger were the eleven lovely-eyed daughters-Khyáti (Celebrity), and Satí (Truth), Sambhúti (Fitness), Smruiti (Memory), Priti (Affection), and Kshamá

23 (Patience), and Sannati (Humility), * and Anasúyá (Sincerity), Urjá (Strength), Sváhá (the oblation to the gods), and Svadhá (the oblation to the pitruis). The Ruishis Bhruigu,

* For Santatis in the text read Sannatis see Canto LII,

v. 24.

24 Bhava† and Maric'hi, and the Muni Angiras also, Pulastya and Pulaha, and Kratu, †† Vasishtha, and Atri, Vahni and the

† That is, S'hiva; and he married Satí. She put an end to herself in consequence of her father Daksha's curse, and was re-born as the daughter of umavat, when Shiva married her again. See Canto LII, vv, 12-14. 

†† For Kritus read Kratus. 

25 Pitruis in order these Munis, the most illustrious among Munis, took these daughters, Khyati and the others, in marriage. § Shraddhá gave birth to Káma (Love); and Shri || to Darpa

                  § See Canto LII, vv. 14, &c.

|| I.e Lakshmi.

26 (Pride); Dhruiti to Niyama (Restraint) her son; and Tushti also to Santosha (Contentment); Pushți to Lobha (Covetousness); Medhá to Shruta (Revelation); Kriya to Danda (Punishment), Naya (Prudence), and Vinaya (Decorum);

27 Buddhi gave birth to Bodha (Wisdom); and Lajjá to Vinaya (Decorum); Vapus to Vyavasáya (Industry) her son; and

28 Shánti gave birth to Kshema (Ease); Siddhi to Sukha (Happinese); Kirti to Yashas (Renown). These were the offspring of Dharma. She ¶ bare by Káma a grandson to Dharma, namely, Harsha (Joy) who brims over with joyousness.

¶ This seems obsoure. 

29 Now Himshá (Injury) was the wife of A-dharma (Unrighteousness); and Anruita (Falsehood) was born of her, and a daughter Nirruiti (Destruction) was born of her, and two sons

30 Naraka (Hell) and Bhaya (Fear), and Máyá (Illusion) and Vedaná (Pain). And with these two females the two sons formed two married pairs; and of those two, Máyá gave birth to Mruityu (Death) who carries created beings away, and

31 Vedaná gave birth by Raurava* to her son Duhkha (Misery) And Vyádhi (Sickness), Jará (Old Age), Shoka (Grief). Truishná (Thirst) and Krodha (Anger) were begotten by

* Raurava is the name of a particular hell, but here it seems to the equivalent to Naraka. 

32 Mruitya; 'or all these, who have the characteristics of A-dharma, are traditionally declared to have sprung from Duhkha. No wife have they, nor son; they all live in perpetual chastity.

33 Nirruiti also was the wife of Mruityu, and Mruityu had another wife called A-lakshmi (Ill Fortune); and by the latter Mruityu

34 had fourteen sons. These are his sons by A-lakshmi; they carry ont Mruityu's commands; they visit men at the

35 times of dissolution; hear about them. They dwell in the ten organs of sense and in the mind; for they influence man or

36 woman each towards his own object of sense; and assailing the organs of sense they influence men by means of passion anger and other feelings, so that men suffer injury through unrighteousness and other evil ways, O brahman.

37 And one of them takes possession of self-consciousness and another resides in the intellect; hence bewildered by folly, men strive to destroy women.

38 And another † famed by his name Duhsaha †† resides in men' houses; he is wasted with hunger, his face is downward bent; he is naked, clothed in rags, and his voice is as hoarse

                  † For anye read anyo?

†† The “Unendurable,” “Intolerable.” 

39 as a crow. He was created by Brahmá to eat all beings Him, exceedingly terrific by reason of his long teeth, open mouthed, very terrible, and ravenous in mind, him thus addressed

40 Brahma, the store-house of austerities, * the fore father of the worlds, he who is entirely consubstantial with Brahma, the pure, the cause of the universe, the changeless. 

* Or, for tapaso nidhih read tapaso nidhe, vocative?

Brahma spoke.

41     “Thou must not devour this universe; quit thy anger, keep thee calm; cast off the atom of passion and forsake this career of ignorance.” 

Duhsaha spoke.

42     “I am wasted with hunger, o ruler of the world, I am thirsty also and my strength is gone. How may I be satisfied, O master? How may I grow strong? And tell me, who will be my refuge where I may abide tranquil?” 

Brahma spoke.

43     “Thy refuge shall be men's houses, and unrighteous men shall be thy strength. Thou shalt be satisfied, my child, with

44 their neglect to perform the constant sacrifices. And spontaneous boils shall be thy raiment; and for food† I give to thee whatever is injured, and what is infested with vermin,

† For áharam read áharam?

45 and what has been gazed into by dogs, likewise what is contained in broken pots, what has been made still by the breath from a man's month, the fragments that remain from a meal, what is unripe, that on which perspiration has fallen, †† what

†† For a-svinnam read a-svinnam?

46 has been licked, what has not been cooked properly, what has been eaten of by people sitting on broken seats, and food that has fallen on the seat, § and what turns away from the sky || at the two twilights, what is distinguished by the

§For ásannagatam another reading is ásandsh-gatam which is preferable.

|| Vi-din-mukha; not in the dictionary.

47 sound of dancing and musical instruments, what a woman in her courses has polluted, what such a woman has eaten of and has gazed at, and whatever food or drink has been

48 damaged ¶ at all--these shall be for thy nourishment, and whatever else I give to thee; whatever persons, who have not performed their ablutions, have sacrificed or given in

¶ Upa-ghata-vat; not in the dictionary. 

49 alms, without faith or in contempt; what has been cast away without the previous use of water, and what has been rendered valueless, and what has been exhibited in order to be discarded, and what has been given away through utter Amazement;

50 what is corrupt, and what has been given away by person in anger or in pain, that O goblin, * thou shalt obtain † as thy reward; and whatever the son of a re-married widow

* Yaksha.

† Tad-bhági in the text seems incorrect. Another reading is tad-gami but tvad-bhági and tvad-gami seem preferable. Another reading is prápeyasi and this I have adopted.

51 does as an undertaking for the next world, and whatever the daughter of a re-married widow so does; that, O goblin, shall be for thy satisfaction. The wealth-procuring ceremonies in which a maiden engages along with her lover for

52 the sake of the obligation of dower, and the ceremonies also which are performed according to wicked books, shall be for thy nourishment, O goblin; and whatever has been studied

53 for the sake of enjoying wealth †† and whatever has not been read truly-all that I give thee, and these periods also for thy perfection. Thou shalt ever have conquering power, O

†† For artham nirvruitam another and better reading is artha-nirvruita which I have adopted. A third reading is áshu vikruitam.

54 Duhsaha, among men, if they approach a pregnant woman carnally, or if they transgress the evening rites and the constant ceremonies, and among men who have been corrupted by wicked books, deeds or conversation.

55 “Thy business lies in creating social dissensions, in rendering cookery useless, and in interrupting cookery; and thy

56 dwelling shall perpetually be in household wrangling. And men shall dread thee § in what pines away, || and in bullock carts and other conveyances which are shut up, in rooms which

§ For tvattvo read tvatto?

|| A-poshyamáne.

57 are not sprinkled at twilight, and at death. On the occasions of eclipses of the stars ¶ and planets, and at the appearance of the three kinds of portents, thou shalt, O goblin, over-

¶ Nakshatra. 

58 come men who disregard propitiatory ceremonies. Men who fast vainly, who always delight in gambling and women, who confer benefits according to thy word, and who are religious hypocrites, shall be thy prey.

59 “Study by one who is not a brahma-chari, and sacrifice performed by an unlearned man; austerities practised in a forest* by men who indulge in worldly pleasures † and by

* For tapo-vane read tapo vane? 

† Grámya.bhuj.

60 men of unsubdued soul; the action which is done according to their respective occupations by brahmans, kshatriyas, vaishyas and shudras, who have fallen from their castes, and who

61 desire to gain the objects of the next world, and whatever the results of that action--all that shall be thine, O goblin. And more yet I give thee for thy nourishment; hearken

62 thereto. Men shall give thee a plenteous bali offering at the close of the Vaishvadeva ceremony, first uttering thy name and then saying “this is for thee.”

63 “Abandon the house of him, who eats only properly cooked food according to rule, who is pure within and without, who

64 is free from covetousness, who governs his wife. †† Abandon that house, O goblin, where the gods and the pitris are worshipped with their respective oblations, and where the female

†† For 'jita-strikas read jita-strikas?

65 relatives and guests are honoured. And abandon that house also, where concord § dwells at home among the children, the aged, the women and men, and among the various classes of

§ For maitri-grihe read maitri-grihe?

66 kinsmen. Abandon that house, O goblin, where the women folk are delighted, are not eager to go outside, and are always

67 modest. Abandon that house, O goblin, at my command, where the bedding and viands are suited to the ages and rela-

68 tions of the inmates. Abandon that house, O goblin, where the inmates are always kind, and busied in good deeds, and

69 possess the common household utensils. And thou must also ever abandon that house, O goblin, where the inmates do not keep their seats while the religious preceptors, the aged, and

70 dvijas are standing and where they do not stand. That will not be an excellent abode for thee, where the house-door in not penetrated by trees, shrubs or other vegetation, nor by a

71 man who pierces one's vitals. Abandon the house of the man who supports the gods, the pitruis, mankind and guests

72 with the remnants of his food. Abandon, O goblin, such men as these, the true in word, the forbearing in disposition, the harmless, and those free from remorse, and also the un-

73 envious. Abandon the woman, who is devoted to her husband's service, who keeps aloof from associating with bad women, and who feeds on the food which has been left by her family and

74 husband. Abandon the brahman dvija always, whose mind is engrossed with sacrifice, study, discipline and alms-giving, and who has made his livelihood by means of the performance of

75 sacrifices, teaching, and receiving alms. * And abandon, O Duh- saha, the kshatriya who is always energetic in alms-giving, study, and sacrifice, and who earns his livelihood from good

* A-dana.

76 taxes and by the occupation of arms. Abandon the stainless vaishya, who is endowed with the three previous virtues, † and who gains his livelihood from the keeping of cattle and trade

† Guna, viz., alms-giving, study and sacrifice.

77 and cultivation. Abandon also the shudra, who is diligent in alms-giving, sacrifice and the service of dvijas, and who sup. ports himself by menial service under brahmans and other dvijas, O goblin.

78 “In whatever house the master of the house earns his livelihood without contravening shruti and smruiti, and where

79 his wife is obedient to him from her very soul, and where the son shows reverence to his spiritual preceptor and the gods and his father, and where the wife shows reverence to her husband-whence should there be fear of misfortune in that

80 house? When a house is smeared over in the evenings, and thoroughly sprinkled with water, and the bali of Bowers is

81 made in it, thou canst not gaze thereat, o goblin. The houses where the sun sees not the beds, and where fire and water are constantly kept, and where the lamps behold the

82 sun, are places patronized by Lakshmi. That house is not a resort for thee, where are kept a bull, sandal-wood perfume, a lute, a mirror, honey and ghee, and where copper vessels are used both for poisons and for the clarified butter of holy oblations.

83 “That house is thy temple, O goblin, where thorny trees grow, and where leguminous plants creep about, and where the

84 wife is a re-married widow, and ant-hills are found. That house is thy dwelling, wherein live five men, and three women, and as many cows, and where the fire from the fuel

85 is mere darkness. Thou shalt quickly, O goblin, parch up the house, which contains one goat, two asses, three cattle,

86 fire buffaloes, * six horses, and seven elephants. Wherever a spade, a dá, † a basket, and also a caldron and other utensils are

* Mahisha (m?); in this sense, not in the dictionary.

† Dátra, a large heavy knife with a curved-in point, used for all purposes of cutting, chopping and splitting.

87 scattered about, they may give thee shelter. Sitting by women on the wooden pestle and mortar, and also upon udumbara wood, †† and the utterance of sacred verses at the

†† This is forbidden because the tree is holy.

88 privy, this shall be advantageous for thee, O goblin. Roam, O Duhsaha, to thy heart's content, in that house where all kinds of corn whether cooked or uncooked, and where the

89 scriptures also are disdained. Endless misfortunes take up their abode in that house, where fire lies upon the lid of the

90 caldron or is offered with the point of a spoon. Thou, O goblin, and other Rakshasas also shall have a dwelling in the house, where human bones lie and where a corpse remains a

91 whole day and night. Resort at once to those men who feed on a kinsman's pinda and water, without giving any to the sapindas and sahodakas.

92 “Abandon the house where the lotus and the white lotus are found, where a maiden dwells who feeds on sweetmeats, §

§Modakáshini; ashin, from ash, to eat, not in the dictionary.

93 and where a bull and a fine elephant* are kept. † Abandon the habitation where the unarmed, the deities, and those who bear arms without engaging in battle, are esteemed worthy

* For vruishabhairávato read vruishabhairávatau?

† For kalpyate read kalpyete or kalpyante?

94 of honour by men. Roam not in that house, where are celebrated as of yore the great urban and rural festivals which

95 were famous of old. Visit those unlucky men who fan themselves with winnowing fans, †† and who bathe with the water poured from jars § or with the drops of water from cloths

†† This seems to be the best moaning; but if so shúrpa-vátán would be more intelligible. 

§ Ye kurvanti must be understood.

96 and with water splashed up by the tips of their nails. Join not thyself with the man who establishes the country customs the conventional ordinances, the laws regarding kinsmen who performs the victorious homa oblation and the auspicious: sacrifice to the gods, who maintains perfect personal purification according to the precepts, and who fashions the public talk.”

Markandeya spoke.

97 Having spoken thus to Duhsaha, Brahma disappeared from sight there, and the other followed the command of the lotus born god.