How the Sage Mandavya Came to Be Impaled

Verse 1 (skanda.6.137.1)

॥ ऋषय ऊचुः ॥ केनासौ मुनिशार्दूलो मांडव्यः सुमहातपाः ॥ शूलायां स्थापितः केन कारणेन च नो वद

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ kenāsau muniśārdūlo māṁḍavyaḥ sumahātapāḥ śūlāyāṁ sthāpitaḥ kena kāraṇena ca no vada

The sages said: Tell us, by whom, and for what reason, was that eminent sage Mandavya, so great in austerity, made to be impaled upon the stake?

Verse 2 (skanda.6.137.2)

॥ सूत उवाच ॥ स मांडव्यो मुनिः पूर्वं तीर्थयात्रां समाचरन् ॥ अस्मिन्क्षेत्रे समायातः श्रद्धया परया युतः

sūta uvāca sa māṁḍavyo muniḥ pūrvaṁ tīrthayātrāṁ samācaran asminkṣetre samāyātaḥ śraddhayā parayā yutaḥ

Suta said: That sage Mandavya, once, while on pilgrimage, came to this kshetra, filled with the deepest reverence.

Verse 3 (skanda.6.137.3)

विश्वामित्रीयमासाद्य सत्तीर्थं पावनं महत् ॥ पितॄणां तर्पणं चक्रे भास्करं प्रति स व्रती

viśvāmitrīyamāsādya sattīrthaṁ pāvanaṁ mahat pitṝṇāṁ tarpaṇaṁ cakre bhāskaraṁ prati sa vratī

Reaching that great and sacred tirtha known as Vishvamitra's, that vow-keeping sage began to offer libations to his ancestors, facing the sun.

Verse 4 (skanda.6.137.4)

जपन्विभ्राडिति श्रेष्ठं सूक्तं भास्करवल्लभम् ॥ एतस्मिन्नंतरे चौरो लोप्त्रमादाय कस्यचित्

japanvibhrāḍiti śreṣṭhaṁ sūktaṁ bhāskaravallabham etasminnaṁtare cauro loptramādāya kasyacit

He was chanting the excellent hymn called Vibhrat, most dear to the sun; meanwhile a thief came there, carrying goods he had stolen from someone.

Verse 5 (skanda.6.137.5)

कोपि तत्र समायातः पृष्ठे लग्नैर्जनैर्द्विजाः ॥ ततश्चौरोऽपि तं दृष्ट्वा मौनस्थं मुनिसत्तमम्

kopi tatra samāyātaḥ pṛṣṭhe lagnairjanairdvijāḥ tataścauro'pi taṁ dṛṣṭvā maunasthaṁ munisattamam

O brahmins, some people, following in pursuit, arrived there as well; the thief, seeing that eminent sage seated there in his vow of silence,

Verse 6 (skanda.6.137.6)

लोप्त्रं मुक्त्वा तदग्रेऽथ प्रविवेश गुहांतरे ॥ एतस्मिन्नंतरे प्राप्तास्ते जना लोप्त्रहेतवे

loptraṁ muktvā tadagre'tha praviveśa guhāṁtare etasminnaṁtare prāptāste janā loptrahetave

dropped the stolen goods before him and slipped into a nearby cave; and it was then that those people, searching for that stolen property, arrived at that very spot.

Verse 7 (skanda.6.137.7)

दृष्ट्वा लोप्त्रं तदग्रस्थं तमूचुर्मुनिपुंगवम् ॥ मार्गेणानेन चायातो लोप्त्रहस्तो मलिम्लुचः ॥ ब्रूहि शीघ्रं महाभाग केन मार्गेण निर्गतः

dṛṣṭvā loptraṁ tadagrasthaṁ tamūcurmunipuṁgavam mārgeṇānena cāyāto loptrahasto malimlucaḥ brūhi śīghraṁ mahābhāga kena mārgeṇa nirgataḥ

Seeing the stolen goods lying before him, they said to that eminent sage: A thief carrying stolen goods in hand came by this very path; O most fortunate one, tell us quickly, by which way did he go?

Verse 8 (skanda.6.137.8)

स च जानन्नपि प्राज्ञो गुहासंस्थं मलिम्लुचम् ॥ न किंचिदपि चोवाच मौनव्रत परायणः

sa ca jānannapi prājño guhāsaṁsthaṁ malimlucam na kiṁcidapi covāca maunavrata parāyaṇaḥ

Though that wise sage well knew that the thief was hidden in the cave, being wholly devoted to his vow of silence, he said nothing at all.

Verse 9 (skanda.6.137.9)

असकृत्प्रोच्यमानोऽपि परचिंतासमन्वितः ॥ यदा प्रोवाच नो किंचित्स रक्षंश्चौरजीवितम्

asakṛtprocyamāno'pi paraciṁtāsamanvitaḥ yadā provāca no kiṁcitsa rakṣaṁścaurajīvitam

Though asked again and again, absorbed in concern for another, and thereby protecting the thief's very life, he uttered not a single word.

Verse 10 (skanda.6.137.10)

ततस्तैर्मंत्रितं सर्वैरेष नूनं मलिम्लुचः ॥ संप्राप्तः पृष्ठतोऽस्माभिर्मुनिरूपो बभूव ह

tatastairmaṁtritaṁ sarvaireṣa nūnaṁ malimlucaḥ saṁprāptaḥ pṛṣṭhato'smābhirmunirūpo babhūva ha

Then all of them conferred among themselves: surely this must be that very thief, who, pursued by us, has now taken on the guise of a sage and arrived here.

Verse 11 (skanda.6.137.11)

अविचार्य ततः सर्वैराभीरैस्तैर्दुरात्मभिः॥ शूलीमारोपितः सद्यो नीत्वा किंचिद्वनांतरम्

avicārya tataḥ sarvairābhīraistairdurātmabhiḥ śūlīmāropitaḥ sadyo nītvā kiṁcidvanāṁtaram

Then, without any further deliberation, all those evil-hearted cowherds took him some way into the forest and at once impaled him upon the stake.

Verse 12 (skanda.6.137.12)

एवं प्राप्ता तदा शूली मुनिना तेन दारुणा ॥ पूर्वकर्मविपाकेन दोषहीनेन धीमता

evaṁ prāptā tadā śūlī muninā tena dāruṇā pūrvakarmavipākena doṣahīnena dhīmatā

Thus that faultless and wise sage came to suffer that terrible impalement, through nothing but the ripening of the fruit of his own former deed.