八部衆 Eight kinds of beings from Indian mythology. Formerly they were evil, but now having been converted by the Buddha, they protect his dharma. They are: (1) devas 天 [gods], (2) nāgas 龍 [snake kings], (3) yakṣas 夜叉 [spirits of the dead who fly about in the night] , (4) ghandharvas 乾闥婆 [half-ghost music masters], (5) asuras 阿修羅 [demigods of evil disposition], (6) garuḍa 迦樓羅 [golden-winged birds which eat dragons], (7) kiṃnara 緊那羅 [heavenly music masters who are neither human nor not human] and (8) mahoraga 摩睺羅迦 [snake spirits].

aṣṭau parṣadaḥ.

佛教漢梵大辭典, 平川彰 Buddhist Chinese-Sanskrit Dictionary, Akira Hirakawa

P 223-224