The Origin of Dharmarajeshvara: How Dharmaraja Became Vidura

Verse 1 (skanda.6.138.1)

॥ ऋषय ऊचुः ॥ किं कृतं धर्मराजेन तपोध्यानादिकं च यत्॥ मांडव्यशापनाशाय तदस्माकं प्रकीर्तय

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ kiṁ kṛtaṁ dharmarājena tapodhyānādikaṁ ca yat māṁḍavyaśāpanāśāya tadasmākaṁ prakīrtaya

The sages said: Tell us what austerity, meditation, and the like Dharmaraja undertook in order to remove Mandavya's curse.

Verse 2 (skanda.6.138.2)

॥ सूत उवाच ॥ मांडव्य शापमासाद्य धर्मराजः सुदुःखितः ॥ तपस्तेपे द्विजश्रेष्ठास्तस्मिन्क्षेत्रे व्यवस्थितः

sūta uvāca māṁḍavya śāpamāsādya dharmarājaḥ suduḥkhitaḥ tapastepe dvijaśreṣṭhāstasminkṣetre vyavasthitaḥ

Suta said: O best of brahmins, having received Mandavya's curse, Dharmaraja, in deep sorrow, remained in that kshetra and undertook austerity.

Verse 3 (skanda.6.138.3)

प्रासादं देवदेवस्य संविधाय कपर्दिनः ॥ अव्यग्रं पूजयामास पुष्पधूपानुलेपनैः

prāsādaṁ devadevasya saṁvidhāya kapardinaḥ avyagraṁ pūjayāmāsa puṣpadhūpānulepanaiḥ

He built a temple to the matted-haired god of gods (Shiva) and, with an untroubled mind, worshipped him with flowers, incense, and fragrant unguents.

Verse 4 (skanda.6.138.4)

ततः कालेन महता तुष्टस्तस्य महेश्वरः ॥ प्रोवाच वरदोऽस्मीति प्रार्थयस्व यदीप्सितम्

tataḥ kālena mahatā tuṣṭastasya maheśvaraḥ provāca varado'smīti prārthayasva yadīpsitam

Then, after a long time, Maheshvara, well pleased with him, said: I am the granter of boons; ask for whatever you desire.

Verse 5 (skanda.6.138.5)

॥ धर्मराज उवाच ॥ अहं देव पुरा शप्तो मांडव्येन महात्मना ॥ स्वधर्मे वर्तमानोऽपि सर्वदोषविवर्जितः

dharmarāja uvāca ahaṁ deva purā śapto māṁḍavyena mahātmanā svadharme vartamāno'pi sarvadoṣavivarjitaḥ

Dharmaraja said: O god, though I was ever devoted to my own proper duty and free of every fault, long ago the great soul Mandavya laid a curse upon me.

Verse 6 (skanda.6.138.6)

कुपितेन च तेनोक्तं शूद्रयोनौ भविष्यसि

kupitena ca tenoktaṁ śūdrayonau bhaviṣyasi

In his anger he declared that I would be born into a shudra womb.

Verse 7 (skanda.6.138.7)

तत्रापि च महद्दुःखं ज्ञातिनाशसमुद्रवम् ॥ मच्छापजनितं सद्यो जातिजं समवाप्स्यसि

tatrāpi ca mahadduḥkhaṁ jñātināśasamudravam macchāpajanitaṁ sadyo jātijaṁ samavāpsyasi

And there too, he said, born of my curse, I would swiftly come to suffer the great grief that arises from the destruction of one's own kindred.

Verse 8 (skanda.6.138.8)

तस्मात्त्राहि सुरश्रेष्ठ तस्या योनेः सकाशतः ॥ कथं चैतद्विधो भूत्वा तस्यां जन्म करोम्यहम्

tasmāttrāhi suraśreṣṭha tasyā yoneḥ sakāśataḥ kathaṁ caitadvidho bhūtvā tasyāṁ janma karomyaham

Therefore, O best of gods, save me from that womb — or else tell me how, being what I am, I may take birth there at all.

Verse 9 (skanda.6.138.9)

तत्रापि च महदुःखं ज्ञातिनाशसमुद्भवम्॥ एतदर्थे सुरश्रेष्ठ मया चाराधितो भवान्॥

tatrāpi ca mahaduḥkhaṁ jñātināśasamudbhavam etadarthe suraśreṣṭha mayā cārādhito bhavān

There too I shall meet with great sorrow born of the destruction of my own kin; O best of gods, it is for this very purpose that I have worshipped you.

Verse 10 (skanda.6.138.10)

॥ श्रीभगवानुवाच ॥ न तस्य सन्मुनेर्वाक्यं शक्यते कर्तुमन्यथा ॥ तस्माच्छूद्रोऽपि भूत्वा त्वं न संतानमवाप्स्यसि

śrībhagavānuvāca na tasya sanmunervākyaṁ śakyate kartumanyathā tasmācchūdro'pi bhūtvā tvaṁ na saṁtānamavāpsyasi

The blessed lord said: The word of that righteous sage cannot be made otherwise; therefore, though you shall indeed become a shudra, you shall obtain no offspring.

Verse 11 (skanda.6.138.11)

ज्ञातिक्षयं प्रदृष्ट्वापि नैव दुःखमवाप्स्यसि ॥ यतो निषिध्यमानापि न करिष्यंति ते वचः

jñātikṣayaṁ pradṛṣṭvāpi naiva duḥkhamavāpsyasi yato niṣidhyamānāpi na kariṣyaṁti te vacaḥ

You shall not suffer sorrow even at the sight of the ruin of your kin, for, though warned, they will not heed your word — since you shall have none of your own.

Verse 12 (skanda.6.138.12)

एतस्मात्कारणाच्चित्ते न ते दुःखं भविष्यति ॥ ज्ञातिजं धर्मराजैतत्सत्यमेव मयोदितम्

etasmātkāraṇāccitte na te duḥkhaṁ bhaviṣyati jñātijaṁ dharmarājaitatsatyameva mayoditam

For this very reason, O Dharmaraja, no sorrow born of kinship shall arise in your heart; this I have told you as the plain truth.

Verse 13 (skanda.6.138.13)

स्थित्वा वर्षशतं प्राज्ञ त्वं शूद्रो धर्मवत्सलः ॥ उपदेशान्बहून्दत्त्वा ज्ञातिभ्यो हितकाम्यया ॥ अपि श्रद्धा विहीनेषु पापात्मसु सदैव हि

sthitvā varṣaśataṁ prājña tvaṁ śūdro dharmavatsalaḥ upadeśānbahūndattvā jñātibhyo hitakāmyayā api śraddhā vihīneṣu pāpātmasu sadaiva hi

O wise one, you shall live for a hundred years as a shudra devoted to dharma, and, out of desire for their welfare, shall ever give much counsel to your kinsmen, even to those devoid of faith and steeped in sin.

Verse 14 (skanda.6.138.14)

ततो वर्षशते पूर्णे ब्रह्मद्वारेण केवलम् ॥ आत्मानं सम्यगुत्सृज्य मोक्षमेव प्रयास्यसि

tato varṣaśate pūrṇe brahmadvāreṇa kevalam ātmānaṁ samyagutsṛjya mokṣameva prayāsyasi

Then, when a hundred years are complete, releasing your own self fully through the aperture of Brahma alone, you shall attain to liberation itself.

Verse 15 (skanda.6.138.15)

एवमुक्त्वा स भगवान्गतश्चादर्शनं ततः ॥ धर्मराजोऽपि तं शापं भेजे मांडव्यसंभवम्

evamuktvā sa bhagavāngataścādarśanaṁ tataḥ dharmarājo'pi taṁ śāpaṁ bheje māṁḍavyasaṁbhavam

Having said this, the blessed lord vanished from that place; and Dharmaraja too underwent that curse which had arisen from Mandavya.

Verse 16 (skanda.6.138.16)

तदा विदुररूपेण ह्यवतीर्य धरातले ॥ मांडव्यस्य वचः सत्यं स चकार महामतिः

tadā vidurarūpeṇa hyavatīrya dharātale māṁḍavyasya vacaḥ satyaṁ sa cakāra mahāmatiḥ

Then that great-minded one, descending to earth in the form of Vidura, made the word of Mandavya come true.

Verse 17 (skanda.6.138.17)

जातो भगवता साक्षाद्व्यासेनामिततेजसा ॥ पाराशर्येण विप्रेण दासीगर्भसमुद्भवः

jāto bhagavatā sākṣādvyāsenāmitatejasā pārāśaryeṇa vipreṇa dāsīgarbhasamudbhavaḥ

He was begotten directly by the blessed sage Vyasa, son of Parashara, boundless in his splendour, and was born from the womb of a maidservant.

Verse 18 (skanda.6.138.18)

एतद्वः सर्वमाख्यातं धर्मराजसमुद्भवम् ॥ आख्यानं यदहं पृष्टः सर्वपातकनाशनम्

etadvaḥ sarvamākhyātaṁ dharmarājasamudbhavam ākhyānaṁ yadahaṁ pṛṣṭaḥ sarvapātakanāśanam

I have thus recounted to you in full this tale of the origin of Dharmaraja, which you had asked of me, and which destroys every sin.