Argument. Deification and Adoration of the Rákshasí for her good Services to Mankind.
Vasishtha continued:—The Rákshasí thus continued in her devotion, and remained on friendly terms with the successive rulers of the Kiráta country, who kept supplying her with her rations. (The Rákshasí maneater was turned to Rákshiní or preserver of men).
2. She continued by the power of her perfection in the practice of yoga meditation, to prevent all portents, to ward off all dread and danger of demons, and remove the diseases of the people. (All these were done by the Rákshasí vidyá now lost, and by supernatural powers gained by yoga).
3. In the course of many years of her meditation, she used to come out of her cell at certain intervals, and call at the head quarters, for her capture of the collection of living creatures kept for her victims. (Man slaughter was not blamable on the part of the cannibal Rákshasí, though practising the yoga; nor was the eating of animal flesh reprehensible in Vasishtha himself, who had been a flesh eating yogi. (See Uttara Ráma Charita)).
4. The practice continues still to be observed by the princes of the place, who conduct the animals to be sacrificed to her departed ghost on the hill; as none can be negligent to repay the good services of his benefactor. (Hence the prevalence of the practice of offering sacrifices to the names of ancestors and deified heroes and heroines, and even of demons for their past good services).
5. At last she became defunct in her meditation, and ceased since long to appear to the habitations of men, and lend her aid in removing their diseases, dangers and difficulties. (The good genius of the place left it at last).
6. The people then dedicated a high temple to her memory, and placed in it a statue of hers, under the title of Kandará—caverner alias Mangalá deví—the auspicious goddess. (The whole legend of the Kandará of Kirátas, alludes to the account of Mangalá Chandí alias Kalika deví—the black and voracious goddess of the Hindus).
7. Since then it is the custom of the chiefs of the tribe, to consecrate a newly made statue in honor of the Kandará deví—the goddess of the valley, after the former one is disfigured and dilapidated. (The Kirántis are said to continue in their idolatry to this day, notwithstanding the conversion of their fellow hill tribes to Mahomedanism, except the Kafers—another hill tribe of the Himalayas who are idolators still).
8. Any prince of the place, who out of his vileness, fails to consecrate the statue of the Kandará goddess, brings out of his own perverseness, great calamities to visit his people. (This sort of retributive justice is expressed in the adage “rájadoshat rájya nashta”:—“And for the king’s offence the people died.” Pope’s Homer’s Iliad I).
9. By worshipping her, man obtains the fruits of all his desires; and by neglecting it, he exposes himself to all sorts of evils and calamities; as effects of the pleasure and displeasure of the goddess to her votaries or otherwise. (The two clauses are instances of affirmative and negative enthymemes coupled together as anvaya vyatirekí. The first enthymeme of the antecedent and consequent is affirmative anvayí, and the other a vyatirekí or negative one). Gloss.