Devanagari
सृष्ट्वा भूतपिशाचांश्च भगवानात्मतन्द्रिणा ।
दिग्वाससो मुक्तकेशान् वीक्ष्य चामीलयद् दृशौ ॥ ४० ॥
Verse text
sṛṣṭvā bhūta-piśācāṁś ca
bhagavān ātma-tandriṇā
dig-vāsaso mukta-keśān
vīkṣya cāmīlayad dṛśau
Synonyms
sṛṣṭvā
—
having created
;
bhūta
—
ghosts
;
piśācān
—
fiends
;
ca
—
and
;
bhagavān
—
Lord Brahmā
;
ātma
—
his
;
tandriṇā
—
from laziness
;
dik
—
vāsasaḥ — naked
;
mukta
—
disheveled
;
keśān
—
hair
;
vīkṣya
—
seeing
;
ca
—
and
;
amīlayat
—
closed
;
dṛśau
—
two eyes .
Translation
The glorious Brahmā next evolved from his sloth the ghosts and fiends, but he closed his eyes when he saw them stand naked with their hair scattered.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Creating the Bhūtas and Piśācas from laziness, and seeing them naked and with loosened hair, Brahmā closed his eyes.
One time Brahmā felt lazy. From that the Bhūtas and Piśācas appeared. That laziness became yawning and sleep. The Bhūtas accepted that. The effect of laziness (tandrā) is called tandri.
Purport
Ghosts and mischievous hobgoblins are also the creation of Brahmā; they are not false. All of them are meant for putting the conditioned soul into various miseries. They are understood to be the creation of Brahmā under the direction of the Supreme Lord.