The Pramathas Tell What Draws Them and What Keeps Them Away

Verse 1 (13.194.1)

ततः सर्वे महाभागा देवाश्च पितरश्च ह । ऋषयश्च महाभागाः प्रमथान्वाक्यमब्रुवन् ॥

tataḥ sarve mahābhāgā devāśca pitaraśca ha | ṛṣayaśca mahābhāgāḥ pramathānvākyamabruvan

Then all the great gods, the ancestors and the great sages said to the Pramathas:

Note on the text: Removed the opening bracket and the speaker heading "भीष्म उवाच ।" printed inside the verse text (it is the speaker); the page brackets this whole passage as an interpolation. Not in the critical edition proper: Appendix I No. 14 (13.125.038d@014_0449-0450); ce_ref left null.

Verse 2 (13.194.2)

भवन्तो वै महाभागा अपरोक्षनिशाचराः । उच्छिष्टानशुचीन्क्षुद्रान्कथं हिंसथ मानवान् ॥

bhavanto vai mahābhāgā aparokṣaniśācarāḥ | ucchiṣṭānaśucīnkṣudrānkathaṃ hiṃsatha mānavān

"You, blessed ones, are night-rangers who move about openly. How do you harm human beings who are unclean, impure and mean?

Note on the text: Corrected हिसथ → हिंसथ (misprint in Wikisource; missing anusvara; CE hiṃsatha). The page prints no heading; the input carried Bhishma over. The words are the direct speech of the gods, ancestors and sages (introduced in the previous verse) and fill whole verses, so this and the next verse are given to them (the CE keeps Bhishma's label through 13.125.038d@014_0455). Not in the critical edition proper: Appendix I No. 14 (13.125.038d@014_0451-0452); ce_ref left null.

Verse 3 (13.194.3)

के च स्मृताः प्रतीघाता येन मर्त्यान्न हिंसथ । रक्षोघ्नानि च कानि स्युर्यैर्गृहेषु प्रणश्यथ । श्रोतुमिच्छाम युष्माकं सर्वमेतन्निशाचराः ॥

ke ca smṛtāḥ pratīghātā yena martyānna hiṃsatha | rakṣoghnāni ca kāni syuryairgṛheṣu praṇaśyatha | śrotumicchāma yuṣmākaṃ sarvametanniśācarāḥ

What are said to be the safeguards by which you do not harm mortals? And what things drive away rakshasas, so that you are destroyed in homes? We wish to hear all this from you, night-rangers."

Note on the text: See the note on the previous verse: unheaded direct speech of the gods, ancestors and sages. Not in the critical edition proper: Appendix I No. 14 (13.125.038d@014_0453-0455); ce_ref left null.

Verse 4 (13.194.4)

मैथुनेन सदोच्छिष्टाः कृते चैवाधरोत्तरे । मोहान्मांसानि खादेत वृक्षमूले च यः स्वपेत् ॥

maithunena sadocchiṣṭāḥ kṛte caivādharottare | mohānmāṃsāni khādeta vṛkṣamūle ca yaḥ svapet

Those who are always impure through intercourse, or when high and low have been turned upside down (a superior has been slighted); whoever eats meat in delusion, and whoever sleeps at the foot of a tree;

Note on the text: WS खादेत against CE 457b khādetha: both are good readings, WS kept. Not in the critical edition proper: Appendix I No. 14 (13.125.038d@014_0456-0457); ce_ref left null.

Verse 5 (13.194.5)

आमिषं शीर्षतो यस्य पादतो यश्च संविशेत् । तत उच्छिष्टकाः सर्वे बहुच्छिद्राश्च मानवाः ॥

āmiṣaṃ śīrṣato yasya pādato yaśca saṃviśet | tata ucchiṣṭakāḥ sarve bahucchidrāśca mānavāḥ

he who lies down with meat at his head, and he who lies with his head where the feet should be: all such men are impure and full of gaps.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition proper: Appendix I No. 14 (13.125.038d@014_0458-0459); ce_ref left null.

Verse 6 (13.194.6)

उदके चाप्यमेध्यानि श्लेष्माणं च प्रमुञ्चति । एते भक्ष्याश्च वध्याश्च मानुषा नात्र संशयः ॥

udake cāpyamedhyāni śleṣmāṇaṃ ca pramuñcati | ete bhakṣyāśca vadhyāśca mānuṣā nātra saṃśayaḥ

And he who lets impure things or phlegm fall into water: these men are fit to be eaten and killed; there is no doubt.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition proper: Appendix I No. 14 (13.125.038d@014_0460-0461); ce_ref left null.

Verse 7 (13.194.7)

एवं शीलसमाचारान्धर्षयामो हि मानवान् । श्रूयतां च प्रतीघातान्यैर्न शक्नुम हिंसितुम् ॥

evaṃ śīlasamācārāndharṣayāmo hi mānavān | śrūyatāṃ ca pratīghātānyairna śaknuma hiṃsitum

Men of such habits and conduct we overpower. Now hear the safeguards by which we cannot harm them.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition proper: Appendix I No. 14 (13.125.038d@014_0462-0463); ce_ref left null.

Verse 8 (13.194.8)

गोरोचनासमालम्भो वचाहस्तश्च यो भवेत् । घृताक्षतं च यो दद्यान्मस्तके तत्परायणः ॥

gorocanāsamālambho vacāhastaśca yo bhavet | ghṛtākṣataṃ ca yo dadyānmastake tatparāyaṇaḥ

One who is anointed with gorochana and holds vacha in his hand, and who, devoted to this, puts ghee and unbroken rice on his head,

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition proper: Appendix I No. 14 (13.125.038d@014_0464-0465); ce_ref left null.

Verse 9 (13.194.9)

ये च मांसं न खादन्ति तान्न शक्नुम हिंसितुम् । यस्य चाग्निर्गृहे नित्यं दिवारात्रौ च दीप्यते ॥

ye ca māṃsaṃ na khādanti tānna śaknuma hiṃsitum | yasya cāgnirgṛhe nityaṃ divārātrau ca dīpyate

and those who do not eat meat: these we cannot harm. Nor can we harm the man in whose house a fire burns constantly, day and night.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition proper: Appendix I No. 14 (13.125.038d@014_0466-0467); ce_ref left null.

Verse 10 (13.194.10)

तरक्षोश्चर्मदंष्ट्राश्च तथैव गिरिकच्छपः । आज्यधूमो बिडालश्च च्छागः कृष्णोऽथ पिङ्गलः ॥

tarakṣoścarmadaṃṣṭrāśca tathaiva girikacchapaḥ | ājyadhūmo biḍālaśca cchāgaḥ kṛṣṇo'tha piṅgalaḥ

The skin and fangs of a tiger, a mountain tortoise, the smoke of ghee, a cat, and a goat, black or tawny:

Note on the text: Corrected कृष्णोऽत → कृष्णोऽथ (misprint in Wikisource; त for थ; the particle अथ, CE kṛṣṇo 'tha). Not in the critical edition proper: Appendix I No. 14 (13.125.038d@014_0468-0469); ce_ref left null.

Verse 11 (13.194.11)

येषामेतानि तिष्ठन्ति गृहेषु गृहमेधिनाम् । तान्यधृष्याण्यगाराणि पिशिताशैः सुदारुणैः ॥

yeṣāmetāni tiṣṭhanti gṛheṣu gṛhamedhinām | tānyadhṛṣyāṇyagārāṇi piśitāśaiḥ sudāruṇaiḥ

the houses of householders in which these are kept cannot be overpowered by the most fearsome flesh-eaters.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition proper: Appendix I No. 14 (13.125.038d@014_0470-0471); ce_ref left null.

Verse 12 (13.194.12)

लोकानस्मद्विधा ये च विचरन्ति यथासुखम् । तस्मादेतानि गेहेषु रक्षोघ्नानि विशाम्पते । एतद्वः कथितं सर्वं यत्र वः संशयो महान् ॥

lokānasmadvidhā ye ca vicaranti yathāsukham | tasmādetāni geheṣu rakṣoghnāni viśāmpate | etadvaḥ kathitaṃ sarvaṃ yatra vaḥ saṃśayo mahān

We, and others like us, roam the worlds as we please; therefore, O lord of the people, these things are rakshasa-slayers in houses. All this has been told to you, about which you had great doubt.

Note on the text: Removed the closing "।।]" bracket (end of the bracketed passage) and kept the verse-end mark. The CE places Bhishma's label on the last line (13.125.038d@014_0474 etad vaḥ kathitaṃ…); the page keeps the Pramathas' heading to the end, and so do we. Not in the critical edition proper: Appendix I No. 14 (13.125.038d@014_0472-0474); ce_ref left null.