The pisachas and us

First there were two. The Deux and the Asyr. Then there were many. The pisachas are one of those lost to history and mythology that got the shorter side of the stick.

The word pisach has three possible meanings in the books.

First, it refers to a linguistic group and peoples in the northern South Asian subcontinent, to the South of Kashmir, and West of current-day Nepal. It's also a language, closely related to various Khas languages, the most spoken Khas language today being Nepali.

Second, it refers to a group of demonic creatures, that can be controlled by a sorcerer or a mantrik (the owner of a mantra) through various mantas and jantras (jantra/yantra being various symbols inscribed on copper, and hung on string). Tamed pisachas are used to guard rich people's gardens, and when the owner of the garden sells the garden, the transfer of ownership of the pisach can also happen with the transfer the mantra used to control the pisach. The pisach/system is called chowdi. Is it me or does it sound suspiciously like chauki.

Third, it is one of the eight kinds of 'marriages', the lowliest grossest one, even by the low sexist standards of the books. It is literally rape -- of someone intoxicated, asleep, otherwise unable to consent due to various disabilities. I could not track down the original source of the description, but I'd guess the translation would not be translated as 'marriage' today, it'd be closer to 'sexual relations.

Shiva, lord of the north, lord of the tantriks, is also the deity of the pisachas, and lives with them. The shaivist sects were fashion in vedic and pre-vedic era, and as population pressure in the central part of the continent grew, they migrated northwards. Several centuries/millennia later, they got into conflict with their southern brethren. It is likely the southerners, relatively speaking for we are still talking about North- and Central- subcontinent, labeled their enemies rapists and literal demons, just like the orange shitball's called literally everyone with that name. One cannot help wondering if there was more than a little projection going on, because if we know one thing about pastoral migratory groups in the mountains, it's that they're more egalitarian than people in urbanized plains.

The connection between Shiva and Nepal is strengthened greatly by the ancient newari festival of Pahan Charhe, the festival of pisach. It falls on Pisach Chaturdashi, called Bhoot Chaturdashi in West Bengal.

Being an exclusive day of pisach (ghostly spirits), worship is offered to Lord Shiva in the form of a pisach.

Perhaps I'm reading too much to this, but the day is also called Pasa Charhe, or the friend Chaturdashi by the newars. It can't be a co-incidence, one thread of connection is a co-incidence, this is a tight rope.

We are the closest peoples to the long-lost pisachas. We worship the same god, speak similar languages, live in the same area, and have great cultural connections. They are our brethren. We are the pisachas.

Final comment: Dattatraya is referred to as a Pisacha. He is also the master of mantra and tantra. Considering tantricism is associated with the North, and he is also associated with pisach-ism, it can't be a co-incidence he's associated with both things North. Wikipedia page for him explains the reference to him being described as a pisach to mean he mean he's a 'demon'. He is described thusly:

the child, the demon, the ocean of knowledge!
 
Find the odd one out! The reference to him being a 'demon' is a misinterpretation of the word 'pisach'...whoever wrote the text meant to describe him as a northerner, one of the pisach-people, aka possibly a Nepali.

Final link here. Sadhguru on Shiva's gana. Hmmm. A cacophony of language 'no human' could understand. Hmmmm.