Texts 18-19
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.