སྟང་ཆན་མ་རབ་ཏ་འཇམས་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བའ་མད 15

15

They are terrifying, with weapons in their hands.
Some are carrying serpent nooses;

“Those with four arms carry torches,
Knives, sticks,
And vajra spears.
Vanquishing fierce armies,
They bring terror everywhere.

“Even all the gracious guhyakas
Dwelling in the locale of the wicked
Seize men, women, and others
In these worlds of humans.

“Reveling in warm flesh and blood, they are protean—
Humans see the yakṣas
In the form of lions, tigers, or horses,
Buffaloes, cows, asses, camels,
Or elephants,

“Bears, leopards, or jackals,
Dogs, foxes, or goats,

“In the form of cats, rats, or monkeys,
In the form of rhinoceroses, boars, mongooses,
Fish, or turtles.

“Some are seen in the form of otters;
Others are seen in the form of crows, owls, or cuckoos,
Vultures, falcons, or timitimiṅgila fish;

“Still others are seen
In the form of peacocks, or swans,
Swans, curlews,
Or wild cocks.

“Even as birds
They terrorize many people.
Some have the heads of humans
And the bodies of wild cocks, or asses.

“Some attack with weapons;
Others manifest as disembodied.
Disturbed and driven by their wants,
They are draped in intestine garlands.

“Stabbing with tridents,
They injure creatures.
Exclaiming horrid sounds,
Beings are tormented.

“They manifest in various forms,
As many as there are types of creatures.
Some even hold mountains,
While others hold swords and disks.

“Numbering in the hundreds of thousands,
Rākṣasas are threatened with clubs and abuse,
Their eyes are plucked out, their faces disfigured,
And their teeth are broken.¹⁵

“Rākṣasas have their noses and ears severed,
Their tongues severed, and their faces wrinkled.
Their hands and feet are chopped off,
And their heads are cut off.

“Seeking an opportunity,
They steal the luster of the wicked.