Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c8.2389

c8.2389

PRAHETI I. A demon. Once Brahmā, the creator, became hungry and in his anger he produced some sounds which became Rākṣasas and Yakṣas. When one said "Rakṣāmahe" the rākṣasas (demons) came into being and when the other said 'Yakṣāmahe' the Yakṣas came into being. It was Praheti who became the father of the rākṣasas and Heti, the father of the Yakṣas. Both of them became mighty and powerful like Madhu and Kaiṭabha. Of these Praheti knew that only by virtuous life could one attain happiness in the next world and so remaining unmarried went to the valley of the Himālayas and doing penance there attained mokṣa. Heti when he came of age married Bhayā, sister of Kāla, and got a son named Vidyutkeśa. Vidyutkeśa married Sālakaṭaṅkā, daughter of Sandhyā. The rākṣasa race born of them lived in Pātāla and Laṅkā. In the Rāma-Rāvaṇa battle all were killed.