The Story of Karkaṭa — The Crocodile of Desire

(from Yoga Vāsiṣṭha Tales)

Opening Scene
In the stillness of dawn, when Rāma sat before the sage with eyes half-closed in meditation, a subtle question arose in his heart:
“O revered one, what is this power that drags even the wise into the waters of restlessness? How does one escape from the pull of desire?”

Vāsiṣṭha smiled and said,
“Rāma, listen to the story of the crocodile named Karkaṭa — born of thought, fed by craving, and destroyed by wisdom.”

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The Birth of Karkaṭa

Long ago, in a quiet forest near a sacred lake, there lived a saint named Vīrādhya. He was a man of great learning but not yet free from ambition. Though he had renounced the world, his heart still longed for recognition and followers.

One day, filled with jealousy toward another sage who was loved by many disciples, he uttered a curse:
“May his peace be devoured by a crocodile of suffering!”

But the law of karma turned inward, and his own unguarded anger became the seed of his downfall. That very night, in the still waters of the lake near his hermitage, a dark form began to stir — born of his own restless thought. It took shape as a monstrous crocodile — Karkaṭa, a creature forged from the vibrations of desire.

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The Crocodile’s Hunger

Karkaṭa prowled the lake, pulling down every animal that came to drink. The once sacred waters turned red with fear. The sage himself, seeing what his mind had created, was filled with horror.

He cried, “O Consciousness, what have I done! My own craving has taken form outside me!”

He tried to kill the crocodile with weapons, mantras, and austerities, but nothing could destroy it — for the monster lived not in the lake, but in his own mind. Wherever he went, he heard its low growl within.

Years passed. The sage aged, weakened, and fell into despair.

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The Awakening

One day, in his final meditation, a realization dawned:
“This beast is not separate from me. It is my own thought, sustained by fear and craving.”

In that instant, he stopped resisting. He sat in silence, turned his gaze inward, and watched the crocodile dissolve like a shadow vanishing at sunrise.

When his heart became still, the lake grew pure again, and the air filled with peace. The sage attained liberation — not by destroying the creature, but by seeing through it.

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Vāsiṣṭha’s Voice

Vāsiṣṭha turned to Rāma and said,
“O prince, every mind is a lake. When a desire arises, it creates a ripple. When the ripple hardens into craving, it becomes a crocodile — dragging the soul into its depths.

Do not fight it, for resistance feeds it. Watch it, understand it, and let it fade in the light of awareness. Thus does the seeker cross the lake of samsāra and reach the shore of peace.”

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Essence

Desire is a shadow born of thought.
Fight it — it grows.
See it — it fades.
Awaken — and the lake of life becomes still again.