Story of Karkati – The demoness

Sage Vasishta was explaining to Sri Rama that whatever one deeply contemplates about is what they experience later. ‘To illustrate this, I will tell you a story’, the sage said.

There lived a demoness (Raakshasi) on the slopes of Himalayas. Her name was Karkati. She had a towering presence, massive build, and a devouring look. She was always ravenously hungry, and she ate whatever she could set her eyes on. However, she was very concerned about her perennial hunger and hence started thinking about finding a lasting solution. She decided to do an intense penance (tapas), praying to the creator Brahma Deva.

She did the tapas for about 1000 years with a rigor matching her massive size. (The term 1000 years is just a direct translation of a Sanskrit word ‘Sahasra’ which as a number means thousand, but generally connotes countless or huge)

She stood on one leg and concentrated on the sun shining in the sky. She was all along thinking of how to enter all beings, spread herself rapidly, so that she can devour them to appease her hunger. Pleased with her tireless effort, The creator Brahma eventually appeared before her and asked her to name what she wanted. She prayed that she should become a living steel pin (Jiva-Suchika), so that she can simultaneously enter all beings and devour them.

(If someone prayed with a concentration and prolonged effort, Devathas or Gods are duty bound to grant the same, whether they personally like it or not.)

So, Brahma granted her that wish, and said that “You shall become very small so as to penetrate anyone’s body and also have a strength of a steel pin. You shall also be called Visuchika because you shall become a disease. Remaining very subtle, you shall mingle with the life force (Prana) of a person and consume them. You shall afflict both the wise as well as the wicked. However, the wise can escape from your clutches by chanting certain mantras. Those who have uncouth living, who partake noxious food and harm others, will be easy meat for you.”   Then Brahma disappeared.

Now Karkati started becoming smaller and smaller till she reached a size of a pin head. She became so subtle that her existence could only be imagined. Initially she was surprised by the change occurring to her, which turned into some sort of fear and later she lamented her misfortune, which was her own making. She got her first objective alright, that is to become a steel pin, but could not achieve the second objective of devouring all as she was of the size of a pin. She epitomised human fallibility. When we aim on one objective and go for it, we do not, many times, anticipate its consequences and other effects.

She had many places to live. She lived in places of dust, dirt, places where flies thrive, people with unhealthy habits, polluted water etc. She was air borne and used Prana to enter one’s body. (A description frighteningly close to today’s Covid-19 virus. Not surprisingly those who translated this work last century have compared Visuchika to cholera, a scourge of that time)

Thus, she lived causing death and destruction, terrorising all people. However, with passage of time, she grew tired of such a living and repented her act of taking away lives at such a large scale. She also blamed herself that she changed her form from a majestic and towering figure to a pitiful pin, just to achieve a useless whim. That too after a long and rigorous penance. She started thinking as to why she cannot now do a penance to purify herself and get rid of the habit of inflicting pain.

She decided to turn a new leaf. She waited till an eagle came near her, entered it and directed eagle’s mind to fly to Himalayas, her old home. There once again she started doing penance to remove all her impure thoughts and tendencies. She did that penance with an intensity she was already known for. Once again stood on a single leg for 1000 years with a single-minded focus. The fire of that penance was felt across all snowy mountains, which started melting. King Indra of the heavenly world felt the heat and sent Sage Narada to verify the source. After Sage Narada confirmed about Karkati he sent Vayu, the wind God, to grant boon to Karkati so that the intensity of penance can be reduced. The wind God Vayu’s efforts were in vain as Karkati continued her austerities undisturbed, without even looking at him. So, King Indra sought the help of the creator Brahma.

Brahma then appeared to her mind’s eye and asked what she wanted this time. She simply said that she does not want anything as she had no desire. Yes, Karkati had attained a high state of wisdom, by her enquiry into her inner self.  Brahma perceived that her earlier tendencies or Vasanas have not completely gone but at the same time, her sincere penance had to bear fruit. So, he said that in order to complete her destiny, she will regain her old form, live out her life span and then attain liberation. But being an illumined soul, she will cause least harm to other beings. Saying so Brahma disappeared.

 Karkati continued in her state of contemplation for a while. Once she came out of that state, she realized that she had regained her old mammoth form. With that, her old ravenous hunger also returned. One must remember that flesh of living beings is the natural food of a demoness. She felt that it will be better to give up her body than inflict pain on other beings. Just then there was a voice from space,” O,Karkati you are allowed to appease your  hunger by taking your natural food. Awakening wisdom in others is a mission of an enlightened person. Wise people are benefactors of society and hence leave them alone. No sin is incurred by devouring wicked people to appease your hunger”.  Hearing this Karkati, soliloquised,” Now I will have to be careful as to whom I eat. I also have an additional task of checking people before eating. Hmmm…I brought it on myself” and moved towards a forest which was a country of hunters. Brahma had cleverly introduced a condition to reduce her consumption as well as to save wise and good people getting devoured.

One night, she saw two persons moving along the forest path and thought that she can have some food. But now she also remembered Brahma’s instruction that she was not allowed to eat good and wise ones. She decided to examine them. She hailed them in a thundering voice “Stop and answer me. Otherwise, I will devour you”. In that night, her figure had merged into the inky darkness and only her flashing teeth revealed her position.

But the two people were not ordinary ones. They looked up, absolutely unruffled and one of them answered “Who are you? There is no need to be angry or agitated. You ask whatever you want calmly and in a respectful way. This country of hunters belongs to us. The person beside me is the King Vikram and I am his minister. We are on our night patrol punishing the wicked and protecting our loyal subjects. We are never afraid of anything or anyone”.

Karkati secretly admired their calmness and courage. May be these people are wise and can clarify some of my doubts, she thought. But while answering she did say “I am least interested in knowing who you are. If you are able to answer my questions you will be spared otherwise you will become my food”. She thus put forth some profound questions.

She asked, what is that Anu (Atom) which is the cause of the origin and preservation & destruction of the multitudes of heterogeneous universes springing up like so many bubbles in the surface of the ocean? What is that which is Akasa (Space) and yet is not? What is that which moves and yet does not move? What is that which portrays pictures in the Akasa(space)? What is that which is not sun, moon or fire but eternally shines?

The minister answered that the answer to all questions is the Supreme Self otherwise called the Brahman. He then proceeded to expound the truth about Brahman, the consciousness. It is indivisible and pervades everything. Because it is indivisible you are me and I am you, while the consciousness has neither become you nor me. When the notion of You and I are dropped, there arises an awareness that there are no objects. The consciousness alone is.

Karkati was very satisfied and asked the king for his views to test him. The king in his turn spoke at length about the nature and characteristics of Brahman or the Self. He said that the world as we call is unreal and explained how the universe appears from Brahman and merges into it. Just like a dream rolls out of one’s mind and folds back. And all the objects which appeared in dream came out of mind only.

He gave an example of a gold bracelet and a gold ring.  As long as we see only the forms we start thinking, “this is bracelet or that is a ring”. We don’t pay attention to the gold underneath. A seasoned jeweller does not concentrate on the bracelet or ring which are mere names and forms. His focus is on the gold and its purity.  Likewise, a realised soul is not carried away by the visual world and the things in it but focuses on the underlying imperishable Brahman. Therefore a wise one will carry out the right enquiry to attain the right knowledge, which once and for all terminates all miseries, which were after all just perceived.

Karkati then said that she was so glad to get such clear answers to questions which would have confounded any normal person. So, she said “O wise ones I am very glad I was uplifted by your answers. Henceforth I shall treat you as friends”. She was so happy about the wisdom gained that she even forgot her hunger and started retreating into the forest. The noble King told her that she had come into his kingdom and hence he will not allow her to go back hungry. He told her to change her form into a human being to avoid intimidating others and accompany him. He asked her to stay in his palace. As regards her food the king thought that the wicked persons he had imprisoned and awaiting severe punishment can be offered as food to Karkati. So, he said that whenever she was hungry, she can consume the wicked people and that she can continue her spiritual quest.

Thus lived Karkati, a beautiful woman during daytime and a demoness by night, eating only when necessary. She continued her contemplation of Self or Brahman and eventually attained liberation as Brahma had promised.

Some people still whisper that she and the King are living in that Himalayan Forest.

’O Rama, I told you the story because I remembered Karkati’s questions, and the superb answers given by the minister and the King. Know that the universe has arisen out of Brahman, and it is the Brahman alone which is manifesting as so many objects’, concluded the wise Sage.

Author’s note:

This story is from Utpatti Prakaranam of Yoga  Vasishta.

The question and answers in this story provide great insight into Advaita Philosophy and are truly priceless. They are worth reading many times for a deep contemplation. 

It is recommended that a true discerning reader should read the complete text. There is a very good English translation by Swami Venkatesananda, Divine Life Society, Rishikesh.

Author’s reflections:

Our sages always had a knack embedding some subtle messages inside a story, for the benefit of humanity. Each reader should read and reflect as to how to interpret the story and also decide the takeaway.

My reflection is as follows:

The demoness has not gone anywhere. She personifies us. She had ravenous hunger. We have that too in the form of insatiable appetite for material possession. We also work very hard, spend our entire life, nay, sometimes many births, to pursue what we think can give us permanent happiness. After reaching certain goal we realize that it is not, after all, worth all the effort. We again may chase something else which may also eventually turn out to be useless. Life with its limited span goes on like this. Some fortunate people among us, may stumble into the right path early in the life, and may get liberated. Others get tossed here and there by the ups and downs of life.

We may not initially recognise who the two hunters that are always available to us are. They are Vivekam, discrimination between permanent and impermanent and Vairagyam, a determination to forsake or renounce the impermanent, regardless how good it looks on the surface. And the creator is ever ready to help, provided we put our effort.

Another important aspect being, the creator, rewards our hard work and gives us the goal we wished for. So actually, destiny is in our hands.