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.
सुदूराद् दीपवद् दृष्टं सुतन्मात्रत्वम् आगतम् । दूराद् एव मनोज्ञेन प्रोद्गिरन्ती मुखेन खम्
Seen from afar like a lamp, it attained the state of pure being; from a distance, with a charming mouth, it seemed to utter forth into the sky.
कुञ्चितेक्षणसन्दृश्यदीर्घदीपांशुकोमला । सद्यस्स्नानसमुच्छूनभालबालविलासिनी
With eyes half-closed, she resembled a delicate lamp-flame, her hair soft as silk, her forehead still moist from a recent bath, appearing as a playful young woman.
तन्तुर् बिसाद् इवोड्डीना बाह्यसञ्चारकौतुकात् । ब्रह्मनाडिर् इवोद्युक्ता बहिर् इन्द्वंशसुन्दरी
Her thread, rising like a lotus-fiber out of curiosity for the world outside, was poised like the chief channel, beautiful as a moonbeam extending outward.
नियतेन्द्रियशक्तिस् स्वा जीवेनेव बहिष्कृता । बौद्धतीर्थिकविज्ञानसन्तानवद् अलक्षिता
With her senses restrained, her own life-force seemed to move outward, unnoticed like the stream of awareness in a Buddhist ascetic.
शून्यसिद्धान्तशिसिका रन्ध्रानिललवाभया । क्षीणदीपांशुसूच्येव तीक्ष्णयानुपलभ्यया
Her understanding, subtle as the doctrine of emptiness, was like a faint breath of wind through a crevice, or a needle with its light nearly gone, sharp yet imperceptible.
ग्रासार्थं सूचितां याता स चास्या नोपयुज्यते । विचारितं तया नैतद् अहो मौर्ख्यविजृम्भितम्
She had been pointed out for the sake of being seized, but he did not make use of her; she herself did not consider this—ah, how ignorance displays itself!
साग्रा सञ्चिन्तयाम् आस न सूची तुच्छरूपताम् । चैत्तम् ईहितम् एवैकं पश्यन्त्य् आस्ते यथासुखम्
With the tip of the needle, she reflected not on its emptiness, but simply gazed at her own mental intention, sitting at ease.
अविचार्यैव सूचित्वं तया मूढधियार्थितम् । नानार्थबुद्धेस् स्फुरति पूर्वापरविचारणा
Without any reflection, the needle’s purpose was desired by her dull mind; for one whose mind is scattered among various objects, prior and subsequent reasoning does not arise.
सार्थक्रियो ऽग्र्यसामर्थ्यो याति भावनयान्यताम् । पदार्थो ऽभिमतार्थाढ्यां निश्श्वासेनेव दर्पणः
A thing, though capable and effective, takes on a different nature through imagination; just as a mirror, filled with the forms one wishes, is altered by a breath.
सूचीभावं प्रपन्नायास् त्यजन्त्याः पीवरं वपुः । महामरणम् अप्य् अस्या राक्षस्यास् सुसुखं स्थितम्
For this rakshasi, who had assumed the form of a needle and abandoned her ample body, even great death was experienced as perfectly pleasant.