69. Chapter 69

श्रीवसिष्ठउवाच । अथ वर्षसहस्रेण तां पितामह आययौ । दारुणं हि तपः सिद्ध्यै विषाग्निरपि शीतलः ॥ १ ॥

śrīvasiṣṭhauvāca | atha varṣasahasreṇa tāṃ pitāmaha āyayau | dāruṇaṃ hi tapaḥ siddhyai viṣāgnirapi śītalaḥ || 1 ||

Vasishtha resumed:—After the lapse of a thousand years, Brahma appeared to her, in order to put an end to the ardour of her austerities, and crown her with success or the reward of her devotion.

मनसैव प्रणम्यैनं सा तथैव स्थिता सती । को वरः क्षुच्छमायालमिति चिन्तान्विताभवत् ॥ २ ॥

manasaiva praṇamyainaṃ sā tathaiva sthitā satī | ko varaḥ kṣucchamāyālamiti cintānvitābhavat || 2 ||

She saluted him internally in her mind, and remained fixed in her position; thinking about the boon she should beg of him, for allaying her keen appetite.

आ स्मृतं प्रार्थयिष्येऽहं वरमेकमिमं विभुम् । अनायसी चायसी च स्यामहं जीवसूचिका ॥ ३ ॥

ā smṛtaṃ prārthayiṣye'haṃ varamekamimaṃ vibhum | anāyasī cāyasī ca syāmahaṃ jīvasūcikā || 3 ||

She soon recollected a certain request, which she should prefer to her complying god; and it was to transform her soft and flexible form to the shape of an inflexible iron-nail, wherewith she could torment all living beings.

अस्योक्त्या द्विविधा सूचिर्भूत्वालक्ष्या विशाम्यहम् । प्राणिनां सह सर्वेषां हृदयं सुरभिर्यथा ॥ ४ ॥

asyoktyā dvividhā sūcirbhūtvālakṣyā viśāmyaham | prāṇināṃ saha sarveṣāṃ hṛdayaṃ surabhiryathā || 4 ||

At Brahma's bidding, she bethought in herself: “I will become as thin as a minute pin, in order to enter imperceptibly into the hearts of animals, as the odor of flowers enters the nostrils.”

यथाभिमतमेतेन ग्रसेयं सकलं जगत् । क्रमेण क्षुद्विनाशाय क्षुद्विनाशः परं सुखम् ॥ ५ ॥

yathābhimatametena graseyaṃ sakalaṃ jagat | krameṇa kṣudvināśāya kṣudvināśaḥ paraṃ sukham || 5 ||

“By this means will I suck the heart-blood of beings, to my heart's satisfaction; in this way will my hunger be satiated, and the gratification of my appetite, will give the greatest delight to my soul.”

इति संचिन्तयन्तीं तामुवाच कमलालयः । अन्यादृश्यास्तथा दृष्ट्वा स्तनिताभ्रारवोपमम् ॥ ६ ॥

iti saṃcintayantīṃ tāmuvāca kamalālayaḥ | anyādṛśyāstathā dṛṣṭvā stanitābhrāravopamam || 6 ||

As she was thinking in this manner, the God discovered her sinister motives, contrary to the character of a yogi; and accosted her in a voice resembling the roaring of clouds.

ब्रह्मोवाच । पुत्रि कर्कटिके रक्षःकुलशैलाभ्रमालिके । उत्तिष्ठ त्वं तु तुष्टोऽस्मि गृहाणाभिमतं वरम् ॥ ७ ॥

brahmovāca | putri karkaṭike rakṣaḥkulaśailābhramālike | uttiṣṭha tvaṃ tu tuṣṭo'smi gṛhāṇābhimataṃ varam || 7 ||

Brahma said:—Daughter Karkati, of the Rakshasa race, that sittest here like a cloud on the inaccessible top of this mountain; know that I am pleased with thy devotion, and bid thee now to raise thyself, and receive the boon that thou desirest of me.

कर्कट्युवाच । भगवन्भूतभव्येश स्यामहं जीवसूचिका । अनायसी चायसी च विधेऽर्पयसि चेद्वरम् ॥ ८ ॥

karkaṭyuvāca | bhagavanbhūtabhavyeśa syāmahaṃ jīvasūcikā | anāyasī cāyasī ca vidhe'rpayasi cedvaram || 8 ||

Karkati answered said:—“O Lord of the past and future! If thou art inclined to grant my request, then please to confer on me the boon, of transforming my unironlike body to the form of an iron needle.”

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच । एवमस्त्विति तामुक्त्वा पुनराह पितामहः । सूचिका सोपसर्गा त्वं भविष्यसि विषूचिका ॥ ९ ॥

śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca | evamastviti tāmuktvā punarāha pitāmahaḥ | sūcikā sopasargā tvaṃ bhaviṣyasi viṣūcikā || 9 ||

Vasishtha said:—The God pronounced “Be it so,”and joined, “thou wilt be as a pin, and shalt be called the choleric pain, for thy giving pain to all bodies.”

सूक्ष्मया मायया सर्वलोकहिंसां करिष्यसि । दुर्भोजना दुरारम्भा मूर्खा दुःस्थितयश्च ये ॥ १० ॥

sūkṣmayā māyayā sarvalokahiṃsāṃ kariṣyasi | durbhojanā durārambhā mūrkhā duḥsthitayaśca ye || 10 ||

“Thou shalt be the cruel cause of acute pain and pang to all living being; and particularly to the intemperate and hard-working fools, and loose libertines, who are destined to be thy devoted victims”.

दुर्देशवासिनो दुष्टास्तेषां हिंसां करिष्यसि । प्रविश्याऽऽहृदयं प्राणैः पद्मप्लीहादिबाधनात् ॥ ११ ॥

durdeśavāsino duṣṭāsteṣāṃ hiṃsāṃ kariṣyasi | praviśyā''hṛdayaṃ prāṇaiḥ padmaplīhādibādhanāt || 11 ||

“Moreover shalt thou molest the dwellers of unhealthy districts, and the practicers of malpractices; by entering their hearts with thy infectious breath, and by disturbing their sleep, and deranging the liver and other intestinal parts of the body.”

वातलेखात्मिका व्याधिर्भविष्यसि विषूचिका । सगुणं विगुणं चैव जनमासादयिष्यसि ॥ १२ ॥

vātalekhātmikā vyādhirbhaviṣyasi viṣūcikā | saguṇaṃ viguṇaṃ caiva janamāsādayiṣyasi || 12 ||

“Thou shalt be of the form of wind (in the bowels), and cause bile and flatulence under the different names of colic diseases, and attack the intemperate both among the wise and unwise.”

गुणान्वितचिकित्सार्थं मन्त्रोऽयं तु मयोच्यते । ब्रह्मोवाच । हिमाद्रेरुत्तरे पार्श्वे कर्कटी नाम राक्षसी ॥ १३ ॥

guṇānvitacikitsārthaṃ mantro'yaṃ tu mayocyate | brahmovāca | himādreruttare pārśve karkaṭī nāma rākṣasī || 13 ||

“The wise when attacked by thee, will be healed by repeating this runic mantra, which I will here propound for their benefit.”

विषूचिकाभिधाना सा नाम्नाप्यन्यायबाधिका । तस्या मन्त्रः । ॐह्रींह्रांरींरां विष्णुशक्तये नमः । ॐनमो भगवति विष्णुशक्तिमेनां ॐहरहर नयनय पचपच मथमथ उत्सादय दूरेकुरु स्वाहा हिमवन्तं गच्छ जीव सः सः सः चन्द्रमण्डलगतोऽसि स्वाहा । इति मन्त्री महामन्त्रं न्यस्य वामकरोदरे । मार्जयेदातुराकारं तेन हस्तेन संयुतः ॥ १४ ॥

viṣūcikābhidhānā sā nāmnāpyanyāyabādhikā | tasyā mantraḥ | oṃhrīṃhrāṃrīṃrāṃ viṣṇuśaktaye namaḥ | oṃnamo bhagavati viṣṇuśaktimenāṃ oṃharahara nayanaya pacapaca mathamatha utsādaya dūrekuru svāhā himavantaṃ gaccha jīva saḥ saḥ saḥ candramaṇḍalagato'si svāhā | iti mantrī mahāmantraṃ nyasya vāmakarodare | mārjayedāturākāraṃ tena hastena saṃyutaḥ || 14 ||

The mantra runs thus said:—“There lives Karkati, the Rakshasi, in the north of the snowy mountain; her name is Visuchika, and it is for repelling her power that I repeat this mantra; Om, I bow to hring, hrang and ring, rang—the powers of Vishnu, and invoke the Vaishnavi powers to remove, destroy, root out, drive away this choleric pain, far beyond the Himalayas, and afar to the orb of the moon. Om (amen) and swaha (soho), be it so”. Let these lines be held on the left arm as an amulet.

हिमशैलाभिमुख्येन विद्रुतां तां विचिन्तयेत् । कर्कटीकर्कशाक्रन्दां मन्त्रमुद्गरमर्दिताम् ॥ १५ ॥

himaśailābhimukhyena vidrutāṃ tāṃ vicintayet | karkaṭīkarkaśākrandāṃ mantramudgaramarditām || 15 ||

“Then rub the painful part with the palm of that hand, and think the colic Karkati to be crushed under the mallet of this amulet, and driven back beyond the hills with loud wailing.”

आतुरं चिन्तयेच्चन्द्रे रसायनहृदि स्थितम् । अजरामरणं युक्तं मुक्तं सर्वाधिविभ्रमैः ॥ १६ ॥

āturaṃ cintayeccandre rasāyanahṛdi sthitam | ajarāmaraṇaṃ yuktaṃ muktaṃ sarvādhivibhramaiḥ || 16 ||

“Let the patient think the medicinal moon to be seated in his heart, and believe himself to be freed from death and disease; and his faith will save his life and heal his pain.”

साधको हि शुचिर्भूत्वा स्वाचान्तः सुसमाहितः । क्रमेणानेन सकलां प्रोच्छिनत्ति विषूचिकाम् ॥ १७ ॥

sādhako hi śucirbhūtvā svācāntaḥ susamāhitaḥ | krameṇānena sakalāṃ procchinatti viṣūcikām || 17 ||

“The attentive adept, who having purified himself with sprinkling the water in his mouth, repeats this formula, he succeeds in a short time to remove the colic pain altogether.”

इति गगनगतस्त्रिलोकनाथो गगनगसिद्धग्रहीतसिद्धमन्त्रः । गत उपगतशक्रवन्द्यमानो निजपुरमक्षयमायमुज्ज्वलश्रीः ॥ १८ ॥

iti gaganagatastrilokanātho gaganagasiddhagrahītasiddhamantraḥ | gata upagataśakravandyamāno nijapuramakṣayamāyamujjvalaśrīḥ || 18 ||

The lord of the three worlds then disappeared in the air, after delivering this efficacious amulet to the Siddhas attending upon him. He went to his splendid seat in heaven, where he was received by the god Indra, who advanced to hail him with his hosannas.