The Mahabharata
Book 1: Adi Parva
Kisari Mohan Ganguli, tr.
[1883-1896]
SECTION CVII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Janamejaya said, 'What did the god of justice do for which he was cursed?
And who was the Brahmana ascetic from whose curse the god had to be born in the
Sudra caste?'
"Vaisampayana said, 'There was a Brahmana known by the name of Mandavya. He
was conversant with all duties and was devoted to religion, truth and asceticism.
The great ascetic used to sit at the entrance of his hermitage at the foot of
a tree, with his arms upraised in the observance of the vow of silence. And as
he sat there for years together, one day there came into his asylum a number of
robbers laden with spoil. And, O bull in Bharata's race, those robbers were then
being pursued by a superior body as guardians of the peace. The thieves, on entering
that asylum, hid their booty there, and in fear concealed themselves thereabout
before the guards came. But scarcely had they thus concealed themselves when the
constables in pursuit came to the spot. The latter, observing the Rishi sitting
under the tree, questioned him, O king, saying, 'O best of Brahmanas, which way
have the thieves taken? Point it out to us so that we may follow it without loss
of time.' Thus questioned by the guardians of peace the ascetic, O king, said
not a word, good or otherwise, in reply. The officers of the king, however, on
searching that asylum soon discovered the thieves concealed thereabout together
with the plunder. Upon this, their suspicion fell upon the Muni, and accordingly
they seized him with the thieves and brought him before the king. The king sentenced
him to be executed along with his supposed associates. And the officers, acting
in ignorance, carried out the sentence by impaling the celebrated Rishi. And having
impaled him, they went to the king with the booty they had recovered. But the
virtuous Rishi, though impaled and kept without food, remained in that state for
a long time without dying. And the Rishi by his ascetic power not only preserved
his life but summoned other Rishi to the scene. And they came there in the night
in the forms of birds, and beholding him engaged in ascetic meditation though
fixed on that stake, became plunged into grief. And telling that best of Brahmanas
who they were, they asked him saying, 'O Brahmana, we desire to know what hath
been thy sin for which thou hast thus been made to suffer the tortures of impalement!'"
