नेष्यस्य् अन्यान् वध्यनरान् हिंसा नैषा च धर्मतः । स्वधर्मेण च हिंसैव महाकरुणया समा
You will bring other condemned men, for violence is not righteous; yet, by your own duty, even violence is equal to great compassion.
त्वं समेष्यसि चावश्यं मां समाधिविरामिणी । असताम् अपि संरूढं सौहार्दं न निवर्तते
You will certainly meet me again, when your meditation comes to rest; even among those who are false, a friendship once established does not fade.
युक्तम् उक्तं त्वया राजन् करोम्य् एवम् अहं सखे । सौहार्देन प्रवृत्तस्य को वाक्यं नाभिनन्दति
What you have said is appropriate, O king; I shall do so, my friend. Who would not welcome the words of one who acts from friendship?
इत्य् उक्त्वा राक्षसी तत्र सम्पन्ना सा विलासिनी । हारकेयूरकटकपट्टस्रग्दामधारिणी
Having spoken thus, the rakshasi, adorned and charming, stood there, wearing necklaces, armlets, bracelets, girdles, and garlands.
राजन्न् आगच्छ गच्छाम इत्य् उक्त्वा नृपमन्त्रिणौ । अग्रे गन्तुं प्रवृत्तौ तौ रात्राव् अनुससार सा
Saying, 'O king, let us go,' she set out with the king and his minister; those two proceeded ahead, and she followed them through the night.
अथ ते पार्थिवगृहं प्राप्य तां रजनीं मिथः । कथयैकगृहे रम्ये क्षपयाम् आसुर् आदृताः
Then, having reached the royal residence, they spent that night together, honored, conversing in a single delightful chamber.
प्रभाते ऽन्तःपुरे तस्थौ पुरन्ध्रिजनलीलया । राक्षसी मन्त्रिराजानौ स्वव्यापारौ बभूवतुः
At dawn, the rakshasi remained in the inner quarters, mingling with the women of the palace; the king and his minister engaged in their own affairs.
ततो दिवसषट्केन सञ्चितानि महीभृता । नृपान्तरपुरेभ्यो ऽपि स्वमण्डलगणात् तथा
Then, within six days, the king gathered together from other royal cities and from his own circle of vassals the accumulated prisoners.
त्रीणि वध्यसहस्राणि तानि तस्यै तदाददौ । सा बभूव निशाकाले सैवोग्रा कृष्णा राक्षसी
He gave her three thousand condemned prisoners; at night, she became that fierce, dark rakshasi.
तानि वध्यसहस्राणि जग्राह भुजमण्डले । धारानिकरजालानि मेघमालेव कोटरे
She seized those thousands of condemned ones within the circle of her arms, like clusters of streaming rain caught by a cloud in a hollow.
ययौ राजानम् आपृच्छ्य तद् एव हिमवच्छिरः । दरिद्रा लब्धहेमेव गृहम् उग्रशरीरिणी
Having taken leave of the king, she went to that very summit of the Himalayas, as a poor woman who has found gold returns to her home, though her body was fierce.
तत्रा तृप्तेर् भृशं भुक्त्वा सुखं सुप्त्वा दिनद्वयम् । आसीत् प्रबुद्धा सुस्वच्छा सा समाधिवती पुनः
There, after satisfying her hunger and sleeping comfortably for two days, she awoke refreshed, clear, and again absorbed in deep meditation.
पञ्चभिर् वा त्रिभिर् वापि वर्षैस् सा सम्प्रबुध्यति । तत् ततो मण्डलं याति तेन राज्ञा च पूज्यते
After five years, or even three, she would awaken from that state, then go to the assembly and be honored by that king.
तत्र विश्रम्भगर्भाभिः कथाभिः कञ्चिद् एव सा । स्थित्वा कालं गृहीत्वा तान् वध्यान् स्वास्पदम् एत्य् अथ
There, after spending some time with conversations filled with trust, she would take those condemned ones and return to her own abode.
जीवन्मुक्ततयैवम् एव विपिने साद्यापि रक्षोऽङ्गना । तस्मिन्न् एव गिरौ स्थिता विगलितध्यानैकतानाशया
Even now, that demoness, liberated while living, remains in that forest on that very mountain, her mind free from all absorbed contemplation.
तस्मिन् राजनि शान्तिम् आगतवति त्यक्तैषणेनात्मना । तद्राष्ट्राधिपसौहृदैस् स्वकवलान् आस्वादयन्ती चिरम्
When that king attained peace, having abandoned all desires, she enjoyed her meals for a long time, with the friendship of the ruler of that land.
किरातमण्डले तस्मिन् ये ये सन्ति महीभृतः । तैस् तैस् सह परा मैत्री तस्यास् समभिजायते
In that region of the Kirātas, with all the local kings, she formed the highest friendship with each of them.
सर्वांस् तत्र महोत्पातान् पिशाचादिभयान्य् अपि । रोगांश् च योगसिद्धा सा निवारयति राक्षसी
There, that yogically accomplished demoness wards off all great calamities, fears from spirits and the like, and diseases.
बहुवर्षगणैर् नैषा ध्यानाद् विरतिम् आगता । तत्रागत्य समश्नाति वध्याञ् जन्तून् सुसञ्चितान्
For many years she did not abandon meditation; coming there, she devours the sacrificial victims that have been well gathered.
अद्यापि तत्र ये वध्यास् ते तदर्थं महीभुजा । दीयन्ते मित्रसम्माने के हि नाध्यवसायिनः
Even today, those who are to be sacrificed are given there by the king for that purpose, as a mark of friendship—who indeed would not be resolute?
तस्यां ध्याननिषण्णायां किरातजनमण्डले । अनायान्त्यां चिरं कालं जनदोषप्रशान्तये
While she sits absorbed in meditation among the tribes of hunters, not coming forth for a long time, the people's faults are pacified.
सा देवी कन्दरानाम्नी मङ्गलेतरनामिका । सम्प्रस्थापिता प्रोच्चैः पुरे गहनकोटरे
That goddess, named Kandarā, also called Maṅgaletarā, was established with great honor in a deep cave within the city.
ततः प्रभृति तत्रान्यो यो यो भवति भूमिपः । स कन्दरां भगवतीं प्रतिष्ठापयति स्वयम्
From that time onward, every king who rules there himself installs the goddess Kandarā.
यः कन्दरां प्रतिष्ठां वा न करोति नृपो ऽधमः । तस्योपतापनिचयाः प्रजा निघ्नन्ति यत्नतः
Any inferior king who does not perform the installation of Kandarā, his subjects diligently destroy him with a multitude of calamities.
तत्पूजनाद् अवाप्नोति जनस् तत्रेप्सितं फलम् । स्वभावनावशोच्छूनम् अनर्थायाप्रपूजनम्
By worshipping her, people there obtain the desired result; neglect of her worship, driven by one's own disposition, leads to misfortune.
वध्यलोकोपचारेण सा देवी परिपूज्यते । प्रतिमायां स्थिताद्यापि चित्तस्थफलदायिनी
That goddess, though worshipped with the customary rites for the condemned, remains in the image, still bestowing the fruits that reside in the mind.
सकललोकसमङ्गलकारिणी कवलिताखिलवध्यमहाजना । जयति सात्र किरातजनास्पदा परमबोधवती चिरदेवता
She, the long-honored goddess, abode of the forest-dwellers, endowed with supreme knowledge, brings auspiciousness to all the worlds and devours all the great multitudes destined for destruction—she is victorious here.
एतत् ते कथितं सर्वम् उपाख्यानम् अनिन्दितम् । कर्कट्या वनराक्षस्या यथावद् अनुपूर्वशः
All this blameless tale has been told to you, just as it happened, about the demoness Karkati, in proper sequence.
हिमवद्गह्वरप्रोक्ता सा कथं कृष्णराक्षसी । कथं च कर्कटी नाम्ना यथावद् वद मे प्रभो
O Lord, tell me precisely how that black demoness, spoken of in the caves of the Himalayas, came to be called Karkati by name.
कुलानि सन्त्य् अनेकानि राक्षसानां स्वभावतः । तानि कृष्णानि शुक्लानि हरितान्य् उज्ज्वलानि च
There are many lineages of demons by nature; among them are black, white, green, and radiant ones.