Shloka 40
The Destruction of Dakṣa’s Sacrifice
कृत्वा भ्रमति चानेन रूपेण सततं क्षितौ । नग्ना गणाः पिशाचाश्च भूतसंघा ह्यनेकशः
kṛtvā bhramati cānena rūpeṇa satataṃ kṣitau | nagnā gaṇāḥ piśācāśca bhūtasaṃghā hyanekaśaḥ
اسی روپ کو اختیار کر کے وہ زمین پر برابر بھٹکتا رہتا ہے؛ اور برہنہ جتھے—پِشَچ اور بے شمار بھوتوں کے غول—کثرت سے (اس کے ساتھ) پھرتے ہیں۔
Unspecified (context-dependent narration within Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa)
Concept: Association with tamasic, impure forces leads to fear and spiritual decline; purity and right association are protective.
Application: Guard one’s environment and habits (food, company, speech); use daily nāma-japa and simple purity disciplines to counter ‘inner piśāca’ tendencies like addiction, cruelty, and delusion.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Type: earthly
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A desolate stretch of earth under a bruised twilight sky, where naked, ash-smeared piśācas and shadowy bhūta-swarms drift like smoke between thorny trees. Their eyes glint in the dark as they circle restlessly, suggesting a world momentarily overrun by tamas.","primary_figures":["Piśācas","Bhūta-gaṇas"],"setting":"Wilderness at the edge of a cremation-ground-like terrain; broken stones, skeletal trees, distant jackals","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["indigo black","ashen gray","sickly green","smoky violet","bone white"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a dramatic nocturnal wilderness with stylized, fearsome piśācas and bhūta-gaṇas roaming the earth; heavy gold-leaf border framing the scene like a protective yantra, with selective gold highlights on eerie eyes and ornaments; rich maroon-black background, traditional South Indian decorative motifs, high-contrast silhouettes.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a moonlit forest-waste with delicate brushwork showing translucent bhūtas and gaunt piśācas; cool indigo and gray washes, fine linework for thorny shrubs, distant hills under a pale moon; lyrical yet unsettling naturalism, refined facial features rendered with ghostly pallor.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines and flat natural pigments depicting bhūta-gaṇas in stylized poses; deep indigo ground, ash-gray bodies, exaggerated eyes; temple-wall aesthetic with ornamental bands, creating a didactic contrast between tamasic beings and implied dharmic order.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: an unusual ‘night of tamas’ composition—dense floral border of dark lotuses and thorn motifs; central field shows roaming bhūtas as swirling patterns; deep blues and blacks with gold accents, hinting that only divine bhakti can restore auspiciousness."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low temple drum","distant jackal cries","wind through dry leaves","ominous silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: चानेन = च + अनेन; पिशाचाश्च = पिशाचाः + च; ह्यनेकशः = हि + अनेकशः (इ/अ sandhi: ह्य)।
FAQs
In Purāṇic usage, piśācas are ghoulish, liminal beings associated with impurity and fear, while bhūtas are spirit-hosts or disembodied entities; the verse depicts them as roaming in groups across the earth.
The verse emphasizes ceaseless wandering on earth after assuming a particular form, accompanied by numerous hosts of naked spirit-beings—highlighting disorderly, unsettling movement in the world.
This specific verse is not a tīrtha-geography or bhakti instruction; it functions more as a descriptive passage about roaming beings and their manifestation, often used in Purāṇas to contrast auspicious order with inauspicious, chaotic forces.