01.101
Pancharatra:Curse of Animandavya
जनमेजय उवाच॥
Janamejaya said:
किं कृतं कर्म धर्मेण येन शापमुपेयिवान् । कस्य शापाच्च ब्रह्मर्षे शूद्रयोनावजायत ॥१-१०१-१॥
O Brahmarshi, what righteous act did he perform by which he incurred a curse? And by whose curse was he born in a śūdra womb?
वैशम्पायन उवाच॥
Vaiśampāyana said:
बभूव ब्राह्मणः कश्चिन्माण्डव्य इति विश्रुतः । धृतिमान्सर्वधर्मज्ञः सत्ये तपसि च स्थितः ॥१-१०१-२॥
There was a brāhmaṇa known as Māṇḍavya, steadfast and versed in all dharmas, established in truth and austerity.
स आश्रमपदद्वारि वृक्षमूले महातपाः । ऊर्ध्वबाहुर्महायोगी तस्थौ मौनव्रतान्वितः ॥१-१०१-३॥
He, the great ascetic, stood with arms raised at the entrance of his hermitage under a tree, a great yogi observing a vow of silence.
तस्य कालेन महता तस्मिंस्तपसि तिष्ठतः । तमाश्रमपदं प्राप्ता दस्यवो लोप्त्रहारिणः ॥ अनुसार्यमाणा बहुभी रक्षिभिर्भरतर्षभ ॥१-१०१-४॥
In the course of time, as he stood in penance, bandits carrying stolen goods came to that hermitage, pursued by many guards, O best of the Bharatas.
ते तस्यावसथे लोप्त्रं निदधुः कुरुसत्तम । निधाय च भयाल्लीनास्तत्रैवान्वागते बले ॥१-१०१-५॥
They placed the stolen goods in his dwelling, O best of Kurus, and hid themselves there out of fear as the guards approached.
तेषु लीनेष्वथो शीघ्रं ततस्तद्रक्षिणां बलम् । आजगाम ततोऽपश्यंस्तमृषिं तस्करानुगाः ॥१-१०१-६॥
When they were hidden, the guards quickly arrived and, following the thieves, saw the sage there.
तमपृच्छंस्ततो राजंस्तथावृत्तं तपोधनम् । कतरेण पथा याता दस्यवो द्विजसत्तम ॥ तेन गच्छामहे ब्रह्मन्पथा शीघ्रतरं वयम् ॥१-१०१-७॥
They then asked the ascetic, O king: “O best of twice-born, by which path did the bandits go? We shall go quickly by that path, O Brāhmaṇa.”
तथा तु रक्षिणां तेषां ब्रुवतां स तपोधनः । न किञ्चिद्वचनं राजन्नवदत्साध्वसाधु वा ॥१-१०१-८॥
Thus, though the guards spoke to him, the ascetic did not utter a single word, whether good or bad, O king.
ततस्ते राजपुरुषा विचिन्वानास्तदाश्रमम् । ददृशुस्तत्र संलीनांस्तांश्चोरान्द्रव्यमेव च ॥१-१०१-९॥
Then the king’s men, searching the hermitage, saw the hidden thieves there along with the stolen goods.
ततः शङ्का समभवद्रक्षिणां तं मुनिं प्रति । संयम्यैनं ततो राज्ञे दस्यूंश्चैव न्यवेदयन् ॥१-१०१-१०॥
Then suspicion arose among the guards toward the sage. Restraining him, they reported both him and the bandits to the king.
तं राजा सह तैश्चोरैरन्वशाद्वध्यतामिति । स वध्यघातैरज्ञातः शूले प्रोतो महातपाः ॥१-१०१-११॥
The king, along with the thieves, ordered his execution; and the great ascetic, unknown to be innocent, was impaled on a stake by the executioners.
ततस्ते शूलमारोप्य तं मुनिं रक्षिणस्तदा । प्रतिजग्मुर्महीपालं धनान्यादाय तान्यथ ॥१-१०१-१२॥
Then the guards, having impaled the sage on the stake, returned to the king carrying the goods they had recovered.
शूलस्थः स तु धर्मात्मा कालेन महता ततः । निराहारोऽपि विप्रर्षिर्मरणं नाभ्युपागमत् । धारयामास च प्राणानृषींश्च समुपानयत् ॥१-१०१-१३॥
Though impaled on the stake, the righteous brāhmaṇa-sage, without food for a long time, did not die and sustained his life, calling other sages to him.
शूलाग्रे तप्यमानेन तपस्तेन महात्मना । सन्तापं परमं जग्मुर्मुनयोऽथ परन्तप ॥१-१०१-१४॥
As the great-souled sage suffered on the stake with his intense austerity, the other sages experienced extreme anguish, O scorcher of foes.
ते रात्रौ शकुना भूत्वा संन्यवर्तन्त सर्वतः । दर्शयन्तो यथाशक्ति तमपृच्छन्द्विजोत्तमम् । श्रोतुमिच्छामहे ब्रह्मन्किं पापं कृतवानसि ॥१-१०१-१५॥
That night, assuming the form of birds, the sages gathered from all sides and asked him, O best of brāhmaṇas: “O brāhmaṇa, we wish to know what sin you have committed.”
ततः स मुनिशार्दूलस्तानुवाच तपोधनान् । दोषतः कं गमिष्यामि न हि मेऽन्योऽपराध्यति ॥१-१०१-१६॥
Then the tiger among sages said to the ascetics: “Whom shall I blame for this fault? Indeed, no one else has offended me.”
राजा च तमृषिं श्रुत्वा निष्क्रम्य सह मन्त्रिभिः । प्रसादयामास तदा शूलस्थमृषिसत्तमम् ॥१-१०१-१७॥
Hearing of the matter, the king came out with his ministers and sought forgiveness from the sage who was on the stake.
यन्मयापकृतं मोहादज्ञानादृषिसत्तम । प्रसादये त्वां तत्राहं न मे त्वं क्रोद्धुमर्हसि ॥१-१०१-१८॥
O best of sages, what I did was out of delusion and ignorance; I beg your forgiveness. You should not be angry with me for that.
एवमुक्तस्ततो राज्ञा प्रसादमकरोन्मुनिः । कृतप्रसादो राजा तं ततः समवतारयत् ॥१-१०१-१९॥
Thus addressed by the king, the sage granted his grace. Then, the king, having received it, took him down from the stake.
अवतार्य च शूलाग्रात्तच्छूलं निश्चकर्ष ह । अशक्नुवंश्च निष्क्रष्टुं शूलं मूले स चिच्छिदे ॥१-१०१-२०॥
Having taken him down from the stake, he pulled out the stake—indeed. But being unable to remove it entirely, he cut it off at the root.
स तथान्तर्गतेनैव शूलेन व्यचरन्मुनिः । स तेन तपसा लोकान्विजिग्ये दुर्लभान्परैः ॥ अणीमाण्डव्य इति च ततो लोकेषु कथ्यते ॥१-१०१-२१॥
Thus the sage roamed with the stake still embedded. By his penance he conquered worlds unattainable by others, and hence is known in the worlds as Aṇīmāṇḍavya.
स गत्वा सदनं विप्रो धर्मस्य परमार्थवित् । आसनस्थं ततो धर्मं दृष्ट्वोपालभत प्रभुः ॥१-१०१-२२॥
The brāhmaṇa sage, knower of supreme truth, went to the abode of Dharma. Seeing Dharma seated, he reproached him.
किं नु तद्दुष्कृतं कर्म मया कृतमजानता । यस्येयं फलनिर्वृत्तिरीदृश्यासादिता मया ॥ शीघ्रमाचक्ष्व मे तत्त्वं पश्य मे तपसो बलम् ॥१-१०१-२३॥
What misdeed did I unknowingly commit, the fruit of which has brought me such suffering? Tell me the truth quickly—behold the power of my penance.
धर्म उवाच॥
Dharma said:
पतङ्गकानां पुच्छेषु त्वयेषीका प्रवेशिता । कर्मणस्तस्य ते प्राप्तं फलमेतत्तपोधन ॥१-१०१-२४॥
A blade of grass was inserted by you into the tails of insects. This is the fruit of that act, O ascetic.
अणीमाण्डव्य उवाच॥
Aṇīmāṇḍavya said:
अल्पेऽपराधे विपुलो मम दण्डस्त्वया कृतः । शूद्रयोनावतो धर्म मानुषः सम्भविष्यसि ॥१-१०१-२५॥
For such a small fault, you inflicted a great punishment upon me. Therefore, O Dharma, you shall be born as a human in a śūdra womb.
मर्यादां स्थापयाम्यद्य लोके धर्मफलोदयाम् । आ चतुर्दशमाद्वर्षान्न भविष्यति पातकम् ॥ परेण कुर्वतामेवं दोष एव भविष्यति ॥१-१०१-२६॥
Today I establish the law of karmic fruitfulness in the world: henceforth, up to the fourteenth year, actions will not incur sin; fault will lie solely with the doer if imposed by another.
वैशम्पायन उवाच॥
Vaiśampāyana said:
एतेन त्वपराधेन शापात्तस्य महात्मनः । धर्मो विदुररूपेण शूद्रयोनावजायत ॥१-१०१-२७॥
By the fault and the curse of that great soul, Dharma was born in a śūdra womb in the form of Vidura.
धर्मे चार्थे च कुशलो लोभक्रोधविवर्जितः । दीर्घदर्शी शमपरः कुरूणां च हिते रतः ॥१-१०१-२८॥
Skilled in dharma and artha, free from greed and anger, farsighted and devoted to peace, he was ever engaged in the welfare of the Kurus.
