Skandapurana 6.2.68.43.1

6.2.68.43.1

.. īśvara uvāca .. ..
aṣṭaṣaṣṭikasaṃkhyākaṃ piśācākhyamatheśvaram..
śṛṇu devi prayatnena darśanātpāpanāśanam .. 1 ..
ādau kaliyuge devi śūdro bahudhano'bhavat..
somo nāma suvikhyāto nāstiko vedaniṃdakaḥ ..2..
abrahmaṇyo nṛśaṃsaśca kadaryo nirapatrapaḥ ..
viśvāsaghātakaścaiva parasvaharaṇe rataḥ.. ..3..
trivargahaṃtā cānyeṣāmātmakāmānuvarttakaḥ ..
sa kadācinmṛto devi kaṣṭena parameṇa ca .. 4 ..
marudeśe piśāco'bhūnnagno dīno bhayāvahaḥ ..
nāśakṛtsa piśācānāṃ svapakṣocchedakārakaḥ ..5..
bahavo mardditāstena piśācā balavattarāḥ ..6..
atha tenaiva mārgeṇa kadācicchākaṭāyanaḥ ..
svādhyāyanirato vidvānvāggmī śamaparāyaṇaḥ .. 7 ..
udayādityasaṃkāśo vibhāvasusamadyutiḥ ..
śakaṭena sadā yāti sa paśyanparvatātmaje .. 8 ..
gato dadarśa taṃ raudraṃ piśācaṃ ca bhayāvaham..
sa piśācaḥ kṣudhāviṣṭo bhoktukāmo'bhyadhāvata .. 9 ..
dṛṣṭvā taṃ śakaṭārūḍhaṃ brāhmaṇaṃ śākaṭāyanam ...
śakaṭasya dhvaniṃ śrutvā rūpaṃ dṛṣṭvā dvijasya ca .. 5.2.68.10 ..
tathārūpaḥ piśācastu karṇābhyāṃ badhirīkṛtaḥ ..
ātmatrāṇaparo bhūtvā naṣṭaḥ kaṣṭena pārvati ..
taṃ dhāvaṃtaṃ samālokya piśācaṃ brāhmaṇo'bravīt.. 11 ..
piśāca trastarūpo'si tvaritaścaiva lakṣyase ..
kva dhāvasi samācakṣva kutaste bhayamāgatam .. 12 .. ..
.. piśāca uvāca .. ..
śakaṭasyāsya mahato ghoṣaṃ śrutvā bhayaṃkaram ..
karṇābhyāṃ badhiro jāto visaṃjñastava darśanāt .. 13 .. ..
..brāhmaṇa uvāca .. ..
piśācānāṃ baliṣṭhāśca śrūyaṃte brahmarākṣasāḥ ..
sa tvaṃ māṃ bhoktukāmo'si vikhyāto brahmarākṣasaḥ ..14 .. ..
..piśāca uvāca ..

Īśvara said: / Hear attentively, O goddess, about the lord named Piśāca, the sixty-eighth in number, / which destroys sins through darśana. (1) / In the beginning of the Kali age, O goddess, there was a very wealthy śūdra, / famous by the name of Soma, who was an atheist and a reviler of the Vedas, (2) / unfriendly to brahmins, cruel, miserly, shameless, / a betrayer of trust, and devoted to taking others' property. (3) / He destroyed the three goals of life of others and indulged his own desires; / one day, O goddess, he died with supreme agony. (4) / In the desert region he became a piśāca—naked, miserable, and terrifying, / a destroyer of piśācas, who wiped out his own kind. (5) / Many stronger piśācas were crushed by him. (6) / Then, along that very path, once came Śākaṭāyana, / devoted to sacred recitation, learned, eloquent, and dedicated to tranquility, (7) / resembling the rising sun, possessing splendor like fire; / traveling constantly in a cart, looking around, O Daughter of the Mountain, (8) / as he went along he saw that dreadful and terrifying piśāca. / Overcome by hunger, that piśāca ran up, desiring to devour him, (9) / having seen the brahmin Śākaṭāyana mounted upon the cart. / Hearing the sound of the cart and seeing the form of the twice-born, (5.2.68.10) / that piśāca was deafened in both ears; / intent on saving himself, he fled with difficulty, O Pārvatī. / Seeing him running away, the brahmin said to that piśāca: (11) / "O piśāca, you appear terrified and you seem in haste; / where are you running? Tell me, from where has your fear arisen?" (12) / The piśāca said: / "Hearing the terrifying roar of this great cart, / I have become deaf in both ears and senseless upon seeing you." (13) / The brahmin said: / "Brahmarākṣasas are heard to be the strongest among the piśācas; / you are a famous brahmarākṣasa desiring to devour me." (14) / The piśāca said: