Shloka 52
अधिरोहन्ति यं नित्यं पिशाचा: पुरुष॑ प्रति । उन्माद्यति स तु क्षिप्रं ग्रह: पैशाच एव स:,जिस पुरुषपर सदा पिशाच चढ़े रहते हैं, वह भी शीघ्र पागल हो जाता है। अतः वह 'पिशाचग्रह' की ही बाधा है
adhirohanti yaṃ nityaṃ piśācāḥ puruṣaṃ prati | unmādyati sa tu kṣipraṃ grahaḥ paiśāca eva saḥ ||
Markandeya said: “The man upon whom piśācas continually fasten is quickly driven into madness; therefore, this affliction is indeed the very ‘piśāca-grasp’ (a demonic seizure).” The verse frames insanity not merely as misfortune but as a harmful possession-like influence, warning that persistent association with destructive forces swiftly deranges the mind and conduct.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Persistent contact with corrupting, harmful forces (symbolized as piśācas) rapidly destabilizes the mind; the verse cautions that such influence is a recognizable ‘seizure’ that must be guarded against through right conduct and protective discipline.
Mārkaṇḍeya defines a specific kind of affliction: when piśācas repeatedly ‘mount’ a person, the result is swift madness; he identifies this condition as the paiśāca-type graha (demonic seizure).