Shloka 21
Secondary Creation Begins: Brahmā’s Productions, the Guṇas, and the Emergence of Orders of Beings
देवस्तानाह संविग्नो मा मां जक्षत रक्षत । अहो मे यक्षरक्षांसि प्रजा यूयं बभूविथ ॥ २१ ॥
devas tān āha saṁvigno mā māṁ jakṣata rakṣata aho me yakṣa-rakṣāṁsi prajā yūyaṁ babhūvitha
Brahmā, chief of the demigods, anxiously said to them, “Do not eat me—protect me. Alas, you have been born from me as my offspring, and thus you are Yakṣas and Rākṣasas.”
The demons who were born from the body of Brahmā were called Yakṣas and Rākṣasas because some of them cried that Brahmā should be eaten and the others cried that he should not be protected. The ones who said that he should be eaten were called Yakṣas, and the ones who said that he should not be protected became Rākṣasas, man-eaters. The two, Yakṣas and Rākṣasas, are the original creation by Brahmā and are represented even until today in the uncivilized men who are scattered all over the universe. They are born of the mode of ignorance, and therefore, because of their behavior, they are called Rākṣasas, or man-eaters.
FAQs
In Canto 3, Chapter 20, Brahmā’s frightening creations are identified as his progeny who became Yakṣas and Rākṣasas, characterized by urges to devour rather than protect.
Because the beings he manifested displayed aggressive, devouring tendencies; Brahmā, alarmed by their nature, instructed them toward the principle of protection (rakṣa) instead of harm.
Channel destructive impulses into protective responsibility—use strength to safeguard others, restrain harmful appetites, and cultivate dharmic conduct over predatory behavior.