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Válmiki
Yoga-Vāsistha, Book 3: Utpatti-Prakarana (Evolution of the World). Chapter 69 - Story of Visūcikā- Continued 1
Vasistha resumed : After the lapse of a thousand years, Brahmā 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. (Ardent devotion has the power of displacing even the gods from their heavenly seats).
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.
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, where with she could torment all living beings. 2
At Brahmā's bidding, she be thought in herself; "I will become as thin as a minute pin, in order to enter imperceptibly into the hearts of animals, as the odour of flowers enters the nostrils."
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.
As she was thinking in this manner, the God discovered her sinister motives, contrary to the character of a Yogī; and accosted her in a voice resembling the roaring of clouds.
Brahmā said : Daughter Karkatī, of the Raks asa race, that sit here like a cloud on the inaccessible top of this mountain; know that I air pleased with your devotion, and bid you now to raise yourself, and receive the boon that you desire of me.
Karkatī answered : "O Lord of the past and future! If you are 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."
Vasistha said- The God pronounced "Be it so," and joined, "you will be as a pin, and shall be called the colic pain, for your giving pain to all bodies."
You shall 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 your devoted victims.
Moreover shall you molest the dwellers of unhealthy districts, and the practicers of malpractices; by entering their hearts with your infectious breath, and by disturbing their sleep, and deranging the lever and other intestinal parts of the body.
" You shall 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."
The wise when attacked by you, will be healed by repeating this runic mantra, which I will here propound for their benefit.
The mantra runs thus- "There lives Karkatī, the Rāksasī, in the north of the snowy mountain; her name is Visūcikā, and it is for repelling her power that I repeat this mantra; "Om, I bow to hring, hrang and ring, rang- the powers of Visnu, and invoke the Vaisnavī powers to remove, destroy, root out, drive away this colic pain, far beyond the Himālaya, and afar to the orb of the moon. Om, (amen) and svāhā (soho), be it so." Let these lines be held on the left arm as an amulet.
Then rub the painful part with the palm of that hand, and think the colic Karkatī to be crushed under the mallet of this amulet, and driven back beyond the hills with loud wailing.
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.
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.
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.
Footnotes
1. It is a curious fact in the theological works of Vedānta, that princes and ladies, employed themselves much more to the cultivation of their minds, and to the investigation of mental and spiritual Philosophy, than other persons and tribes. So we see Suruci, Līla, Visūci and Sarasvatī were all female interlocutors in this work and some Upanisads also, though female education was subsequently abrogated by law.
2. To make her fleshy form as stiff as a poker, so as to be able to pierce all others without be mg pierced herself
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