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Chapter Forty-Nine
The image-like Āryikā, with a mind as pure and unwavering as a sharp sword, stood at the crossroads. At that time, a large army of dark-skinned Bhils, like the night itself, arrived swiftly to attack a very wealthy caravan. They saw the Āryikā standing in the image-yoga. ||27||
"This is the forest deity standing here," thinking this, hundreds of Bhils bowed down and requested a boon from her, saying, "O Bhagavati! If we can obtain wealth without any trouble by your grace, we will be your first servants." ||28||
Having made this wish, that large group of Bhils, strong and numerous, attacked the caravan from all sides, killed them, looted them, and then, having accomplished their task, returned to the vicinity. There they saw the Āryikā standing in the image-yoga. ||29||
When the Bhils saw the Āryikā and moved on, a lion came and began to attack them fiercely. Seeing the attack, they calmly took refuge in samadhi and vowed to remain without food until death. After that, she died in the image-yoga and went to heaven. This is right, because a virtuous person never deviates from his or her duty. ||30||
Although the body of that Āryikā, who constantly earned merit and did not abandon the samadhi she had taken, was torn apart by the claws, mouth, and teeth of the lion, her three fingers remained there. These three fingers were seen by the Bhils. ||31||
The Bhils looked all around that land, which was stained with blood and whose path was hidden, but they could not find the Āryikā anywhere. Finally, they decided that the deity who granted boons was content with this blood, so they placed those three fingers there as a deity and, killing large wild buffaloes, those fierce and cruel Bhils...
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1. Standing at the crossroads, entering the image. 2. Like the night and dawn - dark. 3. Destroyed, K., Kh., ṅ. 4. From the lion that came. 5. With swift, fierce shoots, M. 6. Disappeared - M. 7. Vichakru Rudra-magnashaka-makshika M. Vichakru Rudra-madya shashaka-makshika G.