प्रेतान्भूतगणांश्चान्ये यजन्ते तामसा जनाः ॥ ४ ॥
yajante sāttvikā devānyakṣarakṣāṃsi rājasāḥ .
pretānbhūtagaṇāṃścānye yajante tāmasā janāḥ .. 4 ..
Sattvic men worship the Gods; Rajasic the Yakṣas* and the Rākṣasas; the others—Tamasic men,—the Pretas and the hosts of Bhūtas.
Gods : such as the Vasus. Yakshas : such as Kubera. Rakshasas : such as Nairrita. Pretas : those who, while they had been on earth as brahmanas, etc., neglected their proper duties, and who, after death, attained Vayu-dehas (ærial bodies). We may understand that all these beings, when worshipped, answer the prayers of the devotees by granting their respective desires.—A.
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Hosts of Bhūtas : as also the seven Matrikas.
Men of Rajasic and Tamasic Faiths.
Thus, by a general principle laid down in the scripture, Sattvic and other devotions have been determined through their respective effects. Now only one in a thousand is Sattvic and devoted to the worship of the Gods, while the Rajasic and Tamasic creatures form the majority. How?