Chapter 3: Milarepa annihilates his enemies with black magic and hailstorms

The deed in which he annihilates his enemies with black magic and hailstorms

At that time, as for the signs of my black magic: at the place of Uncle’s elder son’s wedding feast, 35 people who were very wrathful to me and mother, headed by Uncle’s son and wife, gathered inside, and in the courtyard was a scorpion who had horns as big as a yak, putting the pillar between its horns and tearing it out, so the pillar collapsed. Seeing the calamity that filled the outside, Peta said to mother, “Mother look!” She saw Uncle’s house rising up in a cloud of dust. and in a loud voice, “To Mila Sherab Gyaltsen was a son born? After a long life without dying, a time emerges for seeing like this a show which is displayed by my son. Could I, Nyangtsa Kargyen, be happier than this time now? Look!”

The elders said, “What’s the use of killing her? First find her boy and kill him with your own hands however you can. Then it will be easy to kill her,” and they agreed. Maternal Uncle went to Mother’s place and said, “With your speech yesterday and the way you acted, I’m worried that the countrymen are going to kill you, and so put yourself behind a closed door.” Mother thought a lot of thoughts, and meanwhile, Uncle’s servant, the woman who was ours previously, heard them consulting, and told their speech like this to Mother, and told her to therefore be careful about her son’s life. By their speech Mother was at ease for a while, and as the price for her selling half of the field Trepe Tenchung, she got seven ounces of gold. When Mother thought she herself would come and meet with me and deliver provisions and offer advice, Mother herself patched that old coat that the yogin wore, and inside the back of the coat, the yogin uninformed, she hid seven ounces of gold. On top of that, she put a square patch of black cloth. She secured it by in the middle sewing white and coarse thread like the shape of the constellation Pleiades, not visible from the outside.

The family line of father Mila Sherap Gyaltsen has been upheld. Signs of black magic have appeared in the region. 35 people have died under the house that collapsed. For this reason, these countrymen have not acted honourably to me and your sister, so now cast a hailstorm called the “nine brick high” storm. With this, the intentions of your old mother will be fulfilled. If you are short on provisions, look in the region facing north where a black cloud hovers, and under the appearance of the constellation Pleiades, there are seven of our relations, and so then there are whatever provisions you desire. If you don’t find them, this yogin himself lives in that country, and so don’t ask anyone else.” “Well, stay here a bit. I’ll be right back.” I gave the letter to the lama, and the lama said, “Topaga, that mother of yours has a lot of hatred. Even after that many people died, she still asks you to cast a hailstorm. Who are your relatives in the north?” “I’ve never heard that I have any. It’s the letter that mentions them. I also asked the yogin but he wasn’t familiar with them.” The lama’s wife read the letter once, and said “Call the yogin inside.” I called him and she gave him delicious beer.  From the yogin’s back she removed the cloak, and the wife wore it. She said, “people who travel the countryside wearing such cloak are happy!” The climbed upstairs in the house, and she removed the gold from inside the coat. She sewed the patch as before, and draped the coat over the yogin. After serving the evening meal, she took him to another place.

‘Where a black cloud hovers’ means the square patch of black cloth sewn on it. ‘The constellation Pleiades appears’ means the needlework of white thread. ‘The seven relations below it’ means the seven ounces of gold. ‘If you don’t find them, this yogin lives in that region so don’t ask anyone else’ means that if you don’t understand, the gold is in the yogin’s coat so do not look elsewhere.”