Note 35 — Chapter V · WORSHIP OF THE MALEVOLENT DEAD.

The idea of the Râkshasa comes from the earliest times. Some have thought them to be types of the early Drâvidian opponents of the Hindus. Nirritî, the female personification of death, is a Râkshasa deity in the Vedas, and Dr. Muir has traced the various stages by which the Râkshasa was developed into a godling.35 Thus, in the Mahâbhârata, Jarâ is called a household goddess; the great King Jarasandha was born in two halves, and Jarâ united them; she is always represented as seeking to requite by benefits the worship which is paid to her. Manu prescribes a special oblation for “the spirits which walk in darkness.” The blood in the sacrifice is, according to the old ritual, offered to them, though even here we notice the transition from animal to corn offerings.36