क्रमेण दिवसाः पक्षास् तस्या मासर्तवो ययुः । शीतातपेष्व् अलोलायाः कृत्ताया इव शैलतः
Gradually, for her who remained unmoved by cold or heat, like a rock that has been cut, days, fortnights, months, and seasons passed by.
सा बभूवाभ्रमालायास् समा संस्तम्भिताकृतिः । कृष्णोत्थितोर्ध्वकेशी खम् आहर्तुम् इव चोद्भुजा
She became like a garland of clouds, her form completely motionless, her hair rising upwards and dark, as if she were reaching up to seize the sky with her arms.
आलोक्य तां पवनजर्जरिताङ्गकत्वक्क्लीवां सझाङ्कृतिरणत्पवनावधूतैः । ऊर्ध्वस्थमूर्धजतमःपटलैर् दधानां तारौघमौक्तिकम् अजस् समुपाजगाम
Seeing her, with skin worn thin by the wind, her body slack, her form swaying with the gusts that made her ornaments ring, her hair standing up and shrouded in darkness, adorned with a stream of pearls, the unborn one approached her.
अथ वर्षसहस्रेण तां पितामह आययौ । दारुणं हि तपस् सिद्ध्यै विष्ठाग्निर् अपि शीतहा
Then, after a thousand years, the Grandfather (Brahma) came to her; for the accomplishment of severe austerity, even fire fed with excrement is overcome by cold.
मनसैव प्रणम्यैनं सा तथेति स्थिता सती । को वरः क्षुत्क्षयायालम् इति चिन्तान्विताभवत्
She, bowing to him in her mind, stood there, saying, 'So be it,' and began to ponder, 'What boon is sufficient to end hunger?''
अनायसी चायसी च स्याम् अहं जीवसूचिका । अस्योक्त्या द्विविधा सूचीभूत्वालक्ष्या विशाम्य् अहम्
Let me become both effortless and made of iron, the needle of life; by this request, becoming a twofold needle, I will enter unnoticed and vanish.
प्राणेन सह सर्वेषां हृदयं सुरभिर् यथा । यथाभिमतम् एतेन ग्रसेयं सकलं जनम्
Along with the breath, let me enter the heart of all beings, as fragrance does, and by this means, let me consume all people as I wish.
क्रमेण क्षुद्विनाशाय क्षुद्विनाशः परं सुखम् । इति सञ्चिन्तयन्तीं ताम् उवाच कमलोद्भवः
As she reflected, 'Gradually, the destruction of hunger brings supreme happiness,' the lotus-born one spoke to her.
अन्यादृष्टस् तया दृष्टस् त्व् अमृताभ्ररवोपमम् । पुत्रि कर्कटिके रक्षःकुलशैलाभ्रमालिके
She saw another vision, like a cloud of nectar; 'Daughter Karkaṭikā, garland of the mountain of the demon clan,' he said.
उत्तिष्ठ त्वयि तुष्टो ऽस्मि गृहाणाभिमतं वरम् । भगवन् भूतभव्येश स्याम् अहं जीवसूचिका
'Arise, I am pleased with you; choose whatever boon you desire.' 'Lord, master of past and future, may I become Jīvasūcikā.'
अनायसी चायसी च विकल्पय च मे वरम् । एवम् अस्त्व् इति ताम् उक्त्वा पुनर् एव पितामहः
'Let my boon be that I may be both effortless and made of iron, and may I have the power of choice.' Having said, 'So be it,' the grandsire spoke to her again.
सूचिकाम् आह सर्गे त्वं भविष्यसि विषूचिका । सूक्ष्मया मायया सर्वलोकहिंसां करिष्यसि
'In creation, you shall become Viṣūcikā, the needle-like one; with subtle illusion, you will cause harm to all the worlds.'
दुर्भोजना दुरारम्भा मूर्खा दुस्स्थितयश् च ये । दुर्देशवासिनो धृष्टास् तेषां हिंसां करिष्यसि
'You will afflict those who eat poorly, undertake difficult actions, are foolish, unstable, dwell in bad places, or are reckless.'
प्रविश्य हृदयं प्राणैः पद्मप्लीहादिवेधनात् । वातलेखात्मिका व्याधिर् भविष्यसि विषूचिका
'Entering the heart with the life-breaths, piercing the spleen and other organs, you will become Viṣūcikā, a disease of wind in the form of a subtle line.'
सगुणं विगुणं वापि जनम् आसादयिष्यसि । गुणिनि त्वच्चिकित्सार्थं मन्त्रो ऽयं तु मयोच्यते
'You will approach people whether virtuous or not; but for the virtuous, I now declare this mantra for your treatment.'
हिमाद्रेर् उत्तरे पार्श्वे कर्कटी नाम राक्षसी । विषूचिकाभिधाना या कन्या सा न्यायबाधिका
On the northern side of the Himalayas, there is a demoness named Karkati, also called Viṣūcikā; she is a maiden who obstructs what is right.
इति मन्त्रं महामन्त्रं न्यस्य वामकरोदरे । मार्जयेद् आतुराकारं तेन हस्तेन संयतः
Reciting this mantra, the great mantra, place it in the left side of the belly; then, with that hand, gently stroke the patient, maintaining composure.
हिमशैलाभिमुख्येन विद्रुतां तां विचिन्तयेत् । कर्कटीं कर्कशाक्रन्दां मन्त्रमुद्गरचूर्णिताम्
Imagine that Karkati, shrieking harshly, is fleeing toward the Himalayas, crushed by the power of the mantra as if pounded to dust.
आतुरं चिन्तयेच् चन्द्रे रसायनह्रदे स्थितम् । अजरामरणं मुक्तं सर्वाधिव्याधिविभ्रमैः
Visualize the patient as situated in the moon, in a lake of elixir—ageless, deathless, liberated from all diseases and disturbances.
साधको हि शुचिर् भूत्वा स्वाचान्तस् सुसमाहितः । क्रमेणानेन सकलाः प्रोच्छिनत्ति विषूचिकाः
Indeed, the practitioner, having become pure and inwardly calm, with focused mind, by this method gradually destroys all forms of Viṣūcikā.
इति गगनगतस् त्रिलोकनाथो गगनगसिद्धगृहीतसिद्धमन्त्रः । गत इभगतशक्रवन्द्यमानो निजपुरम् अक्षयम् अग्र्यम् उज्ज्वलश्रि
Thus, the Lord of the three worlds, moving through the sky, with the mantra perfected and received from the accomplished ones of the sky, honored by Indra and others, returned to his own imperishable, supreme, and radiant city.
अथ वैडूर्यशृङ्गाभा सा महाकृष्णा राक्षसी । कज्जलाम्बुदलेखेव तानवं गन्तुम् उद्यता
Then that great black demoness, shining like the peak of a cat's-eye gem, poised to become thin, appeared like a streak of lampblack cloud.
बभूवाभ्रोपमाकारत्यागे विटपिरूपिणी । पुम्प्रमाणा ततो ऽप्य् आसीत् ततो ऽभूद् धस्तमात्रकम्
She took the form of a tree, abandoning her previous cloud-like shape; then she became the size of a man, and after that, the size of a hand.
ततः प्रादेशमात्राभा ततो ऽप्य् अङ्गुलरूपिणी । ततो माषशिमीतुल्या ततस् सूची बभूव ह
Then it became the size of a span, then took the form of a finger; then it was like a grain of lentil, and after that, it became a needle.
ततः कौशेयसूचीत्वं पद्मकेसरसुन्दरम् । प्राप्ता सा शिखराकारा सङ्कल्पाद्रिर् इवातता
Then it attained the state of a silken needle, beautiful like the filament of a lotus, and stood upright, resembling the peak of a mountain of thought.
रराज सूचिका कृष्णा श्लक्ष्णायसकलामयी । पुर्यष्टकेन वलिता व्योमगा वातवाहिनी
The black needle shone, entirely smooth and flawless, coiled by the subtle body, moving through the sky, carried by the wind.
सूचिर् दृश्यत एवासौ न त्व् अयो नाम विद्यते । संविद्भ्रमकलैवैषा स्वप्नसूचीव लक्ष्यते
That needle was indeed visible, yet there was no substance of iron; it was only a play of consciousness, appearing like a needle in a dream.
रत्नसूचीव मसृणा मनोमननसंयुता । वैडूर्यरश्मिलेखेव दण्डसन्तानसुन्दरी
Smooth as a jeweled needle, joined with the mind's imagination, beautiful like a line of beryl's radiance, graceful as a string of rods.
कज्जलाम्भोजकिञ्जल्कलतेव पवनाहृता । सूक्ष्मरन्ध्रेक्षणस्वच्छदृष्टव्योमकनीनिका
Like a tendril of a black-lotus stamen carried by the wind, with a tiny, clear aperture, it was as if a pupil of the sky, subtle and transparent to sight.
स्वमुखग्राह्यसूत्रेण श्लक्ष्णपुच्छशिखाणुना । दृश्या वैपुल्यशान्त्यर्थं परं मौनव्रतं गता
With a thread grasped by its own tip, with a smooth tail and shining point, it became visible for the sake of vast tranquility, entering a supreme vow of silence.