Raksasas (raksamsi) appear portrayed in a variety of ways in a wide range of Sanskrit sources stretching from the Rg Veda to the Epics and the Puranas. The term has been understood differently in various texts throughout the ages. Its precise sense is difficult to define, and this explains why the word cannot be easily rendered into any other languages. My paper deals with the term rdksas in the Black Yajur Veda Samhitas, and attempts to identify the characteristics attributed to the Raksasas, the protective measures one can take against them, and the relations between the Raksasas and other beings as well as various mental and abstract states. I then turn my attention to Taittirya Samhita 6.1.8.3-4, 6.2.10.1-2, and 6.3.9.2-3, where a raksas is defined as 'one who hates us and whom we hate' (yo 'sman dvesti yam ca vayam dvisma). My findings concerning the meaning of the term raksas in the Black Yajur Veda Samhitas can be summed up as follows: (1) It seems that although different senses and usages are found in our sources, there is a basic semantic sphere which underlies all the denotations and connotations associated with the Raksasas. In spite of its vagueness, I would define this sphere as referring to 'evil (magical) influences'. And the fact that the term raksas often collocates with diseases, animals, and demonic beings suggests that it follows a similar tradition. (2) The abstract nouns and epithets which regularly collocate with the term often denote negative emotions and psychical states. These words are frequently found in the mantras, and the fact that they are to be associated with Raksasas appears stated only in the Brahmana portions. (3) The Taittitiya Samhita is noteworthy for its attempt to identify the Raksasas with hatred or with persons who hate the sacrificer or whom the sacrificer hates.
