The Impalement of Mandavya

Verse 1 (skanda.5.325.1)

कामप्रमोदिनीसख्यो नीयमानां च तेन तु। दृष्ट्वा ताश्चुक्रुशुः सर्वा निःसृत्य जलमध्यतः॥

kāmapramodinīsakhyo nīyamānāṁ ca tena tu| dṛṣṭvā tāścukruśuḥ sarvā niḥsṛtya jalamadhyataḥ||

Shri Markandeya said: Beholding Kamapramodini being carried off by him, all her companions, emerging from the midst of the water, cried out in alarm.

Verse 2 (skanda.5.325.2)

गता राजगृहे सर्वाः कथयन्ति सुदुःखिताः। कामप्रमोदिनी राजन्हृता श्येनेन पक्षिणा॥

gatā rājagṛhe sarvāḥ kathayanti suduḥkhitāḥ| kāmapramodinī rājanhṛtā śyenena pakṣiṇā||

All of them, greatly distressed, went to the royal palace and said: "O king, Kamapramodini has been carried off by a hawk-bird,

Verse 3 (skanda.5.325.3)

क्रीडन्ती च जलस्थाने तडागे देवसन्निधौ। अन्वेष्या च त्वया राजंस्तस्य मार्गं विजानता॥

krīḍantī ca jalasthāne taḍāge devasannidhau| anveṣyā ca tvayā rājaṁstasya mārgaṁ vijānatā||

- while she was sporting in the water, in the pond, near the goddess's shrine. O king, you must discover his path and search for her."

Verse 4 (skanda.5.325.4)

तासां तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा देवपन्नः सुदुःखितः। हाहेत्युक्त्वा समुत्थाय रुदमानो वरासनात्॥

tāsāṁ tadvacanaṁ śrutvā devapannaḥ suduḥkhitaḥ| hāhetyuktvā samutthāya rudamāno varāsanāt||

Hearing their words, Devapanna was greatly distressed; crying "Alas!" and weeping, he rose from his excellent seat.

Verse 5 (skanda.5.325.5)

मन्त्रिभिः सहितस्तस्मिंस्तडागे जलसन्निधौ। न चिह्नं न च पन्थानं दृष्ट्वा दुःखान्मुमोह च॥

mantribhiḥ sahitastasmiṁstaḍāge jalasannidhau| na cihnaṁ na ca panthānaṁ dṛṣṭvā duḥkhānmumoha ca||

Going, with his ministers, to the water's edge of that pond, and seeing neither trace nor track, he fainted from sorrow.

Verse 6 (skanda.5.325.6)

तस्य राज्ञस्तु दुःखेन दुःखितो नागरो जनः। क्षणेनाश्वासितो राजा मन्त्रिभिः सपुरोहितैः॥

tasya rājñastu duḥkhena duḥkhito nāgaro janaḥ| kṣaṇenāśvāsito rājā mantribhiḥ sapurohitaiḥ||

The townspeople too grew sorrowful at the king's grief. In a moment the king was consoled by his ministers together with the priests.

Verse 7 (skanda.5.325.7)

किं कुर्म इत्युवाचेदमस्मिन्काले विधीयताम्। सर्वैस्तत्संविदं कृत्वा वाहिनीं चतुरङ्गिणीम्॥

kiṁ kurma ityuvācedamasminkāle vidhīyatām| sarvaistatsaṁvidaṁ kṛtvā vāhinīṁ caturaṅgiṇīm||

"What shall we do?" he said - "let whatever must be done now be done." Having all reached agreement together, they made ready a fourfold army -

Verse 8 (skanda.5.325.8)

प्रेषयामि दिशः सर्वा हस्त्यश्वरथसंकुला। वादित्राणि च वाद्यन्ते व्याकुलीभूतसंकुले॥

preṣayāmi diśaḥ sarvā hastyaśvarathasaṁkulā| vāditrāṇi ca vādyante vyākulībhūtasaṁkule||

- crowded with elephants, horses, and chariots, to be sent to every direction. Amidst the agitated throng, instruments were sounded.

Verse 9 (skanda.5.325.9)

नाराचैस्तोमरैर्भल्लैः खड्गैः परश्वधादिभिः। राजा संनाहबद्धोऽभूद्गनं ग्रसते किल॥

nārācaistomarairbhallaiḥ khaḍgaiḥ paraśvadhādibhiḥ| rājā saṁnāhabaddho'bhūdganaṁ grasate kila||

Armed with iron arrows, spears, javelins, swords, and axes, the king donned his armour, as if he would swallow the very sky.

Verse 10 (skanda.5.325.10)

न देवो न च गन्धर्वो न दैत्यो न च राक्षसः। किं करिष्यति राजाद्य न जाने रोषनिष्कृतिम्॥

na devo na ca gandharvo na daityo na ca rākṣasaḥ| kiṁ kariṣyati rājādya na jāne roṣaniṣkṛtim||

"No god, no gandharva, no daitya, no rakshasa shall escape - what will the king do today? I know no end to this fury."

Verse 11 (skanda.5.325.11)

नागरोऽपि जनस्तत्र दृष्ट्वा चकितमानसः। चतुर्दशसहस्राणि दन्तिनां सृणिधारिणाम्॥

nāgaro'pi janastatra dṛṣṭvā cakitamānasaḥ| caturdaśasahasrāṇi dantināṁ sṛṇidhāriṇām||

The townspeople too, beholding this, grew astonished. Fourteen thousand hook-bearing elephants,

Verse 12 (skanda.5.325.12)

अश्वारोहसहस्राणि ह्यशीतिः शस्त्रपाणिनाम्। रथानां त्रिसहस्राणि विंशतिर्भरतर्षभ॥

aśvārohasahasrāṇi hyaśītiḥ śastrapāṇinām| rathānāṁ trisahasrāṇi viṁśatirbharatarṣabha||

eighty thousand mounted, weapon-bearing horsemen, and, O bull among the Bharatas, three thousand and twenty chariots were made ready.

Verse 13 (skanda.5.325.13)

सङ्ग्रामभेरीनिनदैः खुररेणुर्नभोगता। एतस्मिन्नन्तरे तात रक्षको नगरस्य हि॥

saṅgrāmabherīninadaiḥ khurareṇurnabhogatā| etasminnantare tāta rakṣako nagarasya hi||

With the roar of war-drums, the dust of hooves rose to the sky. O father, meanwhile, the city's guard,

Verse 14 (skanda.5.325.14)

गृहीत्वाभरणं तस्यास्त्वङ्गप्रत्यङ्गिकं तथा। कुण्डलाङ्गदकेयूरहारनूपुरझल्लरीः॥

gṛhītvābharaṇaṁ tasyāstvaṅgapratyaṅgikaṁ tathā| kuṇḍalāṅgadakeyūrahāranūpurajhallarīḥ||

- having taken her ornaments from each of her limbs - earrings, armlets, bracelets, necklace, anklets, and small bells -

Verse 15 (skanda.5.325.15)

निवेद्याकथयद्राज्ञे मया दृष्टं त्ववेक्षणात्। तापसानामाश्रमे तु माण्डव्यो यत्र तिष्ठति॥

nivedyākathayadrājñe mayā dṛṣṭaṁ tvavekṣaṇāt| tāpasānāmāśrame tu māṇḍavyo yatra tiṣṭhati||

- presented them to the king and said: "I found these, upon inspection, at the hermitage of ascetics, where Mandavya dwells.

Verse 16 (skanda.5.325.16)

तापसैर्वेष्टितो यत्र ददृशे तत्र सन्निधौ। दण्डवासिवचः श्रुत्वा प्रत्यक्षाङ्गविभूषणम्॥

tāpasairveṣṭito yatra dadṛśe tatra sannidhau| daṇḍavāsivacaḥ śrutvā pratyakṣāṅgavibhūṣaṇam||

There, in the presence of Mandavya, surrounded by ascetics, I saw them." Hearing the words of the guard, and beholding the ornaments before his very eyes,

Verse 17 (skanda.5.325.17)

स क्रोधरक्तनयनो मन्त्रिणो वीक्ष्य नैगमान्। ईदृग्भूतसमाचारो ब्राह्मणो नगरे मम॥

sa krodharaktanayano mantriṇo vīkṣya naigamān| īdṛgbhūtasamācāro brāhmaṇo nagare mama||

- the king, his eyes red with rage, looking upon his ministers and the citizens, said: "A brahmin of such conduct in my city -

Verse 18 (skanda.5.325.18)

चौरचर्यां व्रतच्छन्नः परद्रव्यापहरकः। तेन कन्या हृता मेऽद्य तपस्विपापकर्मिणा॥

caurcaryāṁ vratacchannaḥ paradravyāpaharakaḥ| tena kanyā hṛtā me'dya tapasvipāpakarmiṇā||

- a thief concealed behind the guise of asceticism, a plunderer of others' wealth! That sinful ascetic has today abducted my daughter.

Verse 19 (skanda.5.325.19)

शाकुन्तं रूपमास्थाय जलस्थो गगनं ययौ। पाखण्डिनो विकर्मस्थान् बिडालव्रतिकाञ्छठान्॥

śākuntaṁ rūpamāsthāya jalastho gaganaṁ yayau| pākhaṇḍino vikarmasthān biḍālavratikāñchaṭhān||

- assuming the form of a bird, though standing in the water, he flew into the sky. Hypocrites, those given to evil deeds, deceitful pretenders of a cat's vow (feigned piety),

Verse 20 (skanda.5.325.20)

चाटुतस्करदुर्वृत्तान् हन्यान्नस्त्यस्य पातकम्। न द्रष्टव्यो मया पापः स्तेयी कन्यापहारकः॥

cāṭutaskaradurvṛttān hanyānnastyasya pātakam| na draṣṭavyo mayā pāpaḥ steyī kanyāpahārakaḥ||

- flatterers, thieves, the ill-behaved should be slain; in this there is no sin. That sinful thief, abductor of my daughter, is not fit even to be looked upon by me.

Verse 21 (skanda.5.325.21)

शूलमारोप्यतां क्षिप्रं न विचारस्तु तस्य वै। स च वध्यो मया दुष्टो रक्षोरूपी तपोधनः॥

śūlamāropyatāṁ kṣipraṁ na vicārastu tasya vai| sa ca vadhyo mayā duṣṭo rakṣorūpī tapodhanaḥ||

Let him be impaled at once; there is no need for deliberation about this. That wicked one, that ascetic in the form of a demon, deserves death at my hands."

Verse 22 (skanda.5.325.22)

एवं ब्रुवंश्चलन्क्रोधादादिश्य दण्डवासिनम्। कार्याकार्यं न विज्ञाय शूलमारोपयद्द्विजम्॥

evaṁ bruvaṁścalankrodhādādiśya daṇḍavāsinam| kāryākāryaṁ na vijñāya śūlamāropayaddvijam||

Speaking thus, trembling with rage, having ordered the guard, without discerning what should and should not be done, he had that brahmin impaled upon a stake.

Verse 23 (skanda.5.325.23)

पौरा जानपदाः सर्वे अश्रुपूर्णमुखास्तदा। हाहेत्युक्त्वा रुदन्त्यन्ये वदन्ति च पृथक्पृथक्॥

paurā jānapadāḥ sarve aśrupūrṇamukhāstadā| hāhetyuktvā rudantyanye vadanti ca pṛthakpṛthak||

Then all the citizens and country-folk, their faces filled with tears, some crying "Alas!" and weeping, others speaking separately, said -

Verse 24 (skanda.5.325.24)

कुत्सितं च कृतं कर्म राज्ञा चण्डालचारिणा। ब्राह्मणो नैव वध्यो हि विशेषेण तपोवृतः॥

kutsitaṁ ca kṛtaṁ karma rājñā caṇḍālacāriṇā| brāhmaṇo naiva vadhyo hi viśeṣeṇa tapovṛtaḥ||

"This king, behaving like an outcaste, has done a most reprehensible deed. A brahmin, especially one devoted to austerity, is never to be slain.

Verse 25 (skanda.5.325.25)

यदि रोषसमाचारो निर्वास्यो नगराद्बहिः। न जातु ब्राह्मणं हन्यात्सर्वपापेऽप्यवस्थितम्॥

yadi roṣasamācāro nirvāsyo nagarādbahiḥ| na jātu brāhmaṇaṁ hanyātsarvapāpe'pyavasthitam||

If, out of anger, such conduct occurs, he should have been banished from the city. A brahmin, even one immersed in every sin, should never be killed.

Verse 26 (skanda.5.325.26)

राष्ट्रादेनं बहिष्कुर्यात्समग्रधनमक्षतम्। नाश्नाति च गृहे राजन्नाग्निर्नगरवासिनाम्। सर्वेऽप्युद्विग्नमनसो गृहव्याप्तिविवर्जिताः॥

rāṣṭrādenaṁ bahiṣkuryātsamagradhanamakṣatam| nāśnāti ca gṛhe rājannāgnirnagaravāsinām| sarve'pyudvignamanaso gṛhavyāptivivarjitāḥ||

- he should have been expelled from the kingdom, with all his wealth left untouched." O king, that day fire itself did not cook food in the homes of the citizens; all, with troubled minds, abstained from their household affairs.