देवोपलब्धिमप्राप्य निर्वेदात् सप्तमेऽहनि । शिरोऽवृश्चत् सुधितिना तत्तीर्थक्लिन्नमूर्धजम् ॥ १८ ॥ तदा महाकारुणिको स धूर्जटि- र्यथा वयं चाग्निरिवोत्थितोऽनलात् । निगृह्य दोर्भ्यां भुजयोर्न्यवारयत् तत्स्पर्शनाद् भूय उपस्कृताकृति: ॥ १९ ॥
devopalabdhim aprāpya nirvedāt saptame ’hani śiro ’vṛścat sudhitinā tat-tīrtha-klinna-mūrdhajam tadā mahā-kāruṇiko sa dhūrjaṭir yathā vayaṁ cāgnir ivotthito ’nalāt nigṛhya dorbhyāṁ bhujayor nyavārayat tat-sparśanād bhūya upaskṛtākṛtiḥ
- deva
- of the lord
- upalabdhim
- sight
- aprāpya
- not obtaining
- nirvedāt
- out of frustration
- saptame
- on the seventh
- ahani
- day
- śiraḥ
- his head
- avṛścat
- was about to cut off
- sudhitinā
- with a hatchet
- tat
- of that (Kedāranātha)
- tīrtha
- in (waters of) the holy place
- klinna
- having wetted
- mūrdha-jam
- the hair of his head
- tadā
- then
- mahā
- supremely
- kāruṇikaḥ
- merciful
- saḥ
- he
- dhūrjaṭiḥ
- Lord Śiva
- yathā
- just as
- vayam
- we
- ca
- also
- agniḥ
- the god of fire
- iva
- appearing like
- utthitaḥ
- risen
- analāt
- from the fire
- nigṛhya
- seizing
- dorbhyām
- with his arms
- bhujayoḥ
- his (Vṛka’s) arms
- nyavārayat
- he stopped him
- tat
- his (Lord Śiva’s)
- sparśanāt
- by the touch
- bhūyaḥ
- again
- upaskṛta
- well formed
- ākṛtiḥ
- his body
Vṛkāsura became frustrated after failing to obtain a vision of the lord. Finally, on the seventh day, after dipping his hair into the holy waters at Kedāranātha and leaving it wet, he took up a hatchet and prepared to cut off his head. But at that very moment the supremely merciful Lord Śiva rose up out of the sacrificial fire, looking like the god of fire himself, and grabbed both arms of the demon to stop him from killing himself, just as we would do. By Lord Śiva’s touch, Vṛkāsura once again became whole.