The Impaling of Mandavya

Verse 1 (1.116.1)

किं कृतं कर्म धर्मेण येन शापमुपेयिवान् । कस्य शापाच्च ब्रह्मर्षेः शूद्रयोनावजायत ॥

kiṃ kṛtaṃ karma dharmeṇa yena śāpamupeyivān | kasya śāpācca brahmarṣeḥ śūdrayonāvajāyata

Janamejaya said: "What deed had Dharma done that he incurred a curse? And by the curse of which brahmarshi was he born from a shudra womb?"

Verse 2 (1.116.2)

बभूव ब्राह्मणः कश्चिन्माण्डव्य इति विश्रुतः । धृतिमान्सर्वधर्मज्ञः सत्ये तपसि च स्थितः ॥

babhūva brāhmaṇaḥ kaścinmāṇḍavya iti viśrutaḥ | dhṛtimānsarvadharmajñaḥ satye tapasi ca sthitaḥ

Vaishampayana said: There was a certain brahmin, renowned by the name of Mandavya, steadfast, knowing all of dharma, and firm in truth and in austerity.

Verse 3 (1.116.3)

स तीर्थयात्रां विचरन्नाजगाम यदृच्छया । संनिकृष्टानि तीर्थानि ग्रामाणां यानि कानि च । तत्राश्रमपदं कृत्वा वसति स्म महामुनिः ॥

sa tīrthayātrāṃ vicarannājagāma yadṛcchayā | saṃnikṛṣṭāni tīrthāni grāmāṇāṃ yāni kāni ca | tatrāśramapadaṃ kṛtvā vasati sma mahāmuniḥ

Wandering on pilgrimage to the sacred fords, he came by chance to the fords that lay near certain villages; there the great sage made himself a hermitage and lived.

Note on the text: Removed stray wiki marks (backtick, quote mark, doubled danda). Not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension).

Verse 4 (1.116.4)

स आश्रमपदद्वारि वृक्षमूले महातपाः । ऊर्ध्वबाहुर्महायोगी तस्थौ मौनव्रतान्वितः ॥

sa āśramapadadvāri vṛkṣamūle mahātapāḥ | ūrdhvabāhurmahāyogī tasthau maunavratānvitaḥ

At the door of his hermitage, at the foot of a tree, that great ascetic and great yogi stood with his arms raised, keeping a vow of silence.

Verse 5 (1.116.5)

तस्य कालेन महता तस्मिंस्तपसि वर्ततः । तमाश्रममनुप्राप्ता दस्यवो लोप्त्रहारिणः ॥

tasya kālena mahatā tasmiṃstapasi vartataḥ | tamāśramamanuprāptā dasyavo loptrahāriṇaḥ

When he had long been engaged in that austerity, robbers carrying stolen goods came to that hermitage,

Note on the text: The automatic alignment found no match; this is a variant of 1.101.4ab of the critical edition.

Verse 6 (1.116.6)

अनुसार्यमाणा बहुभी रक्षिभिर्भरतर्षभ । तामेव वसतिं जग्मुस्ते ग्रामाल्लोप्त्रहारिणः ॥

anusāryamāṇā bahubhī rakṣibhirbharatarṣabha | tāmeva vasatiṃ jagmuste grāmālloptrahāriṇaḥ

pursued by many guards, O bull of the Bharatas. Those thieves, with their plunder from the village, went to that very dwelling

Note on the text: Removed a stray wiki mark (backtick). The first line = 1.101.4c of the critical edition; the second is not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension).

Verse 7 (1.116.7)

यस्मिन्नावसथे शेते स मुनिः संशितव्रतः । ते तस्यावसथे लोप्त्रं दस्यवः कुरुसत्तम ॥

yasminnāvasathe śete sa muniḥ saṃśitavrataḥ | te tasyāvasathe loptraṃ dasyavaḥ kurusattama

in which the sage of strict vows lay. There in his dwelling, O best of the Kurus, the robbers

Note on the text: Removed a stray wiki mark (quote mark). The first line is not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension); the second is a variant of 1.101.5a.

Verse 8 (1.116.8)

निधाय च भयाल्लीनास्तत्रैवानागते बले । तेषु लीनेष्वथो शीघ्रं ततस्तद्रक्षिणां बलम् ॥

nidhāya ca bhayāllīnāstatraivānāgate bale | teṣu līneṣvatho śīghraṃ tatastadrakṣiṇāṃ balam

set down the loot and, out of fear, hid themselves right there before the pursuing force arrived. When they had hidden, the band of guards swiftly

Note on the text: The automatic alignment found no match; lines = a variant of 1.101.5c and 1.101.6a of the critical edition.

Verse 9 (1.116.9)

आजगाम ततोऽपश्यंस्तमृषिं तस्करानुगाः । तमपृच्छंस्ततो राजंस्तथावृत्तं तपोधनम् ॥

ājagāma tato'paśyaṃstamṛṣiṃ taskarānugāḥ | tamapṛcchaṃstato rājaṃstathāvṛttaṃ tapodhanam

arrived. The thief-trackers saw the seer and, O king, questioned that ascetic, who stood just as he was:

Note on the text: The automatic alignment found no match; lines = 1.101.6c and 1.101.7a of the critical edition.

Verse 10 (1.116.10)

कतरेण पथा याता दस्यवो द्विजसत्तम । तेन गच्छामहे ब्रह्मन्यथा शीघ्रतरं वयम् ॥

katareṇa pathā yātā dasyavo dvijasattama | tena gacchāmahe brahmanyathā śīghrataraṃ vayam

"By which road have the robbers gone, O best of the twice-born? Tell us, brahmin, so that we may follow it all the faster."

Note on the text: The automatic alignment found no match; a variant of 1.101.7ce of the critical edition.

Verse 11 (1.116.11)

तथा तु रक्षिणां तेषां ब्रुवतां स तपोधनः । न किंचिद्वचनं राजन्नब्रवीत्साध्वसाधु वा ॥

tathā tu rakṣiṇāṃ teṣāṃ bruvatāṃ sa tapodhanaḥ | na kiṃcidvacanaṃ rājannabravītsādhvasādhu vā

But though the guards spoke to him thus, the ascetic said not a word, O king, good or bad.

Note on the text: Corrected रक्षिमां → रक्षिणां (misprint in Wikisource; म for ण, as in the critical edition's rakṣiṇāṃ).

Verse 12 (1.116.12)

ततस्ते राजपुरुषा विचिन्वानास्तमाश्रमम् । ददृशुस्तत्र लीनांस्तांश्चोरांस्तद्द्रव्यमेव च ॥

tataste rājapuruṣā vicinvānāstamāśramam | dadṛśustatra līnāṃstāṃścorāṃstaddravyameva ca

Then the king's men, searching the hermitage, found the thieves hiding there, and the stolen goods as well.

Verse 13 (1.116.13)

ततः शङ्का समभवद्रक्षिणां तं मुनिं प्रति । संयम्यैनं ततो राज्ञे दस्यूंश्चैव न्यवेदयन् ॥

tataḥ śaṅkā samabhavadrakṣiṇāṃ taṃ muniṃ prati | saṃyamyainaṃ tato rājñe dasyūṃścaiva nyavedayan

Then the guards grew suspicious of the sage. They bound him and handed him over to the king along with the robbers.

Verse 14 (1.116.14)

तं राजा सह तैश्चोरैरन्वशाद्वध्यतामिति । स रक्षिभिस्तैरज्ञातः शूले प्रोतो महातपाः ॥

taṃ rājā saha taiścorairanvaśādvadhyatāmiti | sa rakṣibhistairajñātaḥ śūle proto mahātapāḥ

The king ordered that he be put to death along with the thieves. Unrecognised by those guards, the great ascetic was impaled on a stake.

Verse 15 (1.116.15)

ततस्ते शूलमारोप्य तं मुनिं रक्षिणस्तदा । प्रतिजग्मुर्महीपालं धनान्यादाय तान्यथ ॥

tataste śūlamāropya taṃ muniṃ rakṣiṇastadā | pratijagmurmahīpālaṃ dhanānyādāya tānyatha

Having set the sage upon the stake, the guards went back to the king, taking those riches with them.

Verse 16 (1.116.16)

शूलस्थः स तु धर्मात्मा कालेन महता ततः । निराहारोऽपि विप्रर्षिर्मरणं नाभ्यपद्यत ॥

śūlasthaḥ sa tu dharmātmā kālena mahatā tataḥ | nirāhāro'pi viprarṣirmaraṇaṃ nābhyapadyata

But the righteous brahmarshi, though he hung on the stake a long time without food, did not die.

Note on the text: The automatic alignment found no match; a variant of 1.101.13ab of the critical edition.

Verse 17 (1.116.17)

धारयामास च प्राणानृषींश्च समुपानयत् । शूलाग्रे तप्यमानेन तपस्तेन महात्मना ॥

dhārayāmāsa ca prāṇānṛṣīṃśca samupānayat | śūlāgre tapyamānena tapastena mahātmanā

He held on to his life and drew the seers to him. Because that great soul performed austerity while suffering on the point of the stake,

Note on the text: The automatic alignment found no match; lines = 1.101.13c and 1.101.14a of the critical edition.

Verse 18 (1.116.18)

सन्तापं परमं जग्मुर्मुनयस्तपसाऽन्विताः । ते रात्रौ शकुना भूत्वा सन्निपत्य तु भारत । दर्शयन्तो यथाशक्ति तमपृच्छन्द्विजोत्तमम् ॥

santāpaṃ paramaṃ jagmurmunayastapasā'nvitāḥ | te rātrau śakunā bhūtvā sannipatya tu bhārata | darśayanto yathāśakti tamapṛcchandvijottamam

the sages, rich in austerity, were greatly distressed. Taking the form of birds, they gathered at night, O Bharata, and showing themselves as best they could, they questioned that best of brahmins:

Note on the text: Corrected सन्निपत्त्य → सन्निपत्य (misprint in Wikisource; doubled त in the gerund sannipatya) and दर्शन्तो → दर्शयन्तो (misprint in Wikisource; dropped य, as in the critical edition's darśayanto and the commentary's दर्शयन्तः). The automatic alignment found no match; lines = a variant of 1.101.14c, a variant of 1.101.15a and 1.101.15c of the critical edition.

Verse 19 (1.116.19)

श्रोतुमिच्छामहे ब्रह्मन्किं पापं कृतवानसि । येनेह समनुप्राप्तं शूले दुःखभयं महत् ॥

śrotumicchāmahe brahmankiṃ pāpaṃ kṛtavānasi | yeneha samanuprāptaṃ śūle duḥkhabhayaṃ mahat

"We wish to hear, brahmin, what sin you have committed, that you have met with this great suffering and terror here upon the stake."

Note on the text: The first line = 1.101.15e of the critical edition; the second is not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension). The sages' question is spoken within the narration, without a speaker line of its own.