From the power of Bhūti, countless beings of wondrous diversity came forth, each possessing extraordinary forms and abilities. Some stood upon one foot, others upon two, three, or even many; their yogic power was immense, their strength and austerity profound, and their might without compare. These beings moved freely and unobstructed through the world, knowing Brahman itself, able to assume any form at will. Some were terrible and cruel, others pure, auspicious, and virtuous, speaking with eloquence. They appeared holding kusa grass, with enormous tongues, ears, and jaws. Some ate with their hands, mouths, or even their heads, and many were adorned with skulls. Among them were archers and those who wielded clubs, swords, and spears. Their mouths and eyes blazed with fire, and they adorned themselves with garlands and fragrant ointments of many kinds. Some ate all manner of food and flesh, taking on many forms—some beautiful, some terrifying. Many moved by night and dusk, while others wandered by day. Some were gentle, but many were hard to behold—fearsome night-wanderers all. These beings had no fear of others or of fate; their minds were detached from worldly ties. They had neither wife nor son, for their seed flowed ever upward, beyond ordinary descent. By their own power, hundreds and thousands of such self-controlled, great-souled beings arose—these are known as the sons of Bhūti. Among them, tawny Kūṣmāṇḍas appeared again, as did pairs of Piśācas, also tawny in hue. Because of their color, all these Piśācas were known as flesh-eaters. There are sixteen pairs, each with their own lineages, still present in the world. Their names are recounted, beginning with the flesh-eaters and their descendants: Chagala and Chagalī, Vakra and Vakramukhī, Sūcī and Sūcīmukha; Sumbhapātra, Kumabhī, Vajradaṃṣṭra, Dundubhi, Upacāra, Upacārā, Ulūkhala, Ulūkhalī; Anarka and Anarkā, Kukhaṇḍa and Kukhaṇḍikā, Pāṇipātra and Pāṇipātrī, Pāṃśu and Pāṃśumatī; Nituṇḍa and Nituṇḍī, Nipuṇa and Nipuṇā, Chalādoccheṣaṇā, Praskanda and Skandikā. These are the sixteen groups of Piśācas. Further, there are Ajāmukhā, Vakramukhā, Pūriṇas, Skandinas, Vipādāṅgārikās, Kumbhapātrās, and Prakundakās; Upacārolūkhalikās, Anarkās, Kukhaṇḍikās, Pāṇipātrās, Naituṇḍās, Ūrṇāśās, and Nipuṇās; Sūcīmukhās, and Uccheṣaṇādās. These sixteen lineages are the noble families of the Kūṣmāṇḍas. The Piśācas are known as well-formed, yet born with dreadful and perverse conduct. Their offspring and descendants are countless. Listen, then, to their characteristics: Some, called Vṛttākhyā, are covered in hair, with fangs and claws, their bodies askew and their faces turned downward, always seeking flesh. Others are hairless, clothed only in skin and sinew; these Kūṣmāṇḍika Piśācas eat sesame seeds and meat. There are those with crooked limbs, hands, and feet, moving in twisted ways and able to assume any form they wish—these are the crooked Piśācas. Some have hanging bellies, beak-like noses, and short bodies, heads, and arms. These are the Nitundaka Piśācas, fond of sesame seeds and well-known. Others are dwarfish, talkative, and leap as they move—these Anarka and Marka Piśācas dwell in trees and dislike food. The Pāṃśava Piśācas, with arms, hair, and trees all pointing upward, live in such places and emit dust from their bodies. The Upavīra Piśācas, dry and bearded, clad in bark garments, dwell in cremation grounds. Some have fixed eyes, large tongues, and mortar-shaped bodies, with heads as big as elephants or camels, withdrawn and with bound lumps. The Sumbhapātra Piśācas eat food unseen by others; subtle ones are hairy and tawny, moving both seen and unseen. Among them are skillful goblins, unrestrained, with mouths torn open to the ears, drooping lips, and thick noses. There are groups trampled by hands and feet, dwarfish and always gazing at the ground; these goblins seize children and frequent the houses of women in childbirth. Others have hands and feet set backward, are dwarfish and swift as the wind. These goblins eat flesh and, in battle, drink blood. Some are naked, homeless, with hanging hair and lump-like bodies—these are called Skandins, while others eat the remains of offerings. Thus, sixteen kinds of goblins are described. Seeing these pitiful goblins in such forms, Brahma, moved by compassion for their limited minds, granted them a boon: the power to become invisible and to assume forms at will. Their places of dwelling and sustenance are found at the junctions of day and night, in houses that are broken, deserted, or sparsely inhabited, and in dwellings ruined, impure, untouched, smeared with filth, or lacking proper rites. They are found along royal roads and side streets, at unclean crossroads, doorways, thresholds, and places where people pass without ownership. On roads, rivers, sacred fords, trees at shrines, and great highways, goblins are established everywhere. Among people, they are drawn to the unrighteous—those whose livelihoods are prescribed by the gods: mixed castes, artisans, and craftsmen. Where thieves, betrayers of trust, and those who acquire wealth unjustly dwell, there too the goblins and spirits take up residence. Their offerings are honey, meat, rice, curds, sesame flour, spirituous liquors, incense, turmeric rice, oil, molasses, and rice cooked with jaggery. Black garments, incense, and flowers are also dear to them. Thus equipped, at the junctions of sacred days, Brahma, as their lord, gave them permission to partake. And so, for all beings and goblins, seeing Girisha, the trident-wielder, Brahma produced sons—tigers and lions, O beautiful one.