01.101
Pancharatra:Curse of Animandavya
janamejaya uvāca॥
Janamejaya said:
kiṁ kṛtaṁ karma dharmeṇa yena śāpamupeyivān । kasya śāpācca brahmarṣe śūdrayonāvajāyata ॥1॥
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?
vaiśampāyana uvāca॥
Vaiśampāyana said:
babhūva brāhmaṇaḥ kaścin māṇḍavya iti viśrutaḥ । dhṛtimān sarvadharmajñaḥ satye tapasi ca sthitaḥ ॥2॥
There was a brāhmaṇa known as Māṇḍavya, steadfast and versed in all dharmas, established in truth and austerity.
sa āśramapadadvāri vṛkṣamūle mahātapāḥ । ūrdhvabāhur mahāyogī tasthau maunavratānvitaḥ ॥3॥
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.
tasya kālena mahatā tasmiṁs tapasi tiṣṭhataḥ । tam āśramapadaṁ prāptā dasyavo loptrahāriṇaḥ ॥ anusrayamāṇā bahubhiḥ rakṣibhir bharatarṣabha ॥4॥
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.
te tasyāvasathe loptraṁ nidadhuḥ kurusattama । nidhāya ca bhayāl līnās tatraivānvāgate bale ॥5॥
They placed the stolen goods in his dwelling, O best of Kurus, and hid themselves there out of fear as the guards approached.
teṣu līneṣv atho śīghraṁ tatas tad rakṣiṇāṁ balam । ājagāma tato 'paśyaṁs tam ṛṣiṁ taskarānugāḥ ॥6॥
When they were hidden, the guards quickly arrived and, following the thieves, saw the sage there.
tam apṛcchaṁs tato rājaṁs tathāvṛttaṁ tapodhanam । katareṇa pathā yātā dasyavo dvijasattama ॥ tena gacchāmahe brahman pathā śīghrataraṁ vayam ॥7॥
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.”
tathā tu rakṣiṇāṁ teṣāṁ bruvatāṁ sa tapodhanaḥ । na kiñcid vacanaṁ rājan navadat sādhv asādhu vā ॥8॥
Thus, though the guards spoke to him, the ascetic did not utter a single word, whether good or bad, O king.
tatas te rājapuruṣā vicinvānās tad āśramam । dadṛśus tatra saṁlīnās tāṁś corān dravyam eva ca ॥9॥
Then the king’s men, searching the hermitage, saw the hidden thieves there along with the stolen goods.
tataḥ śaṅkā samabhavad rakṣiṇāṁ taṁ muniṁ prati । saṁyamya enaṁ tato rājñe dasyūṁś caiva nyavedayan ॥10॥
Then suspicion arose among the guards toward the sage. Restraining him, they reported both him and the bandits to the king.
taṁ rājā saha taiś corair anvaśād vadhyatām iti । sa vadhyaghātair ajñātaḥ śūle proto mahātapāḥ ॥11॥
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.
tatas te śūlam āropya taṁ muniṁ rakṣiṇas tadā । pratijagmur mahīpālaṁ dhanāny ādāya tān yathā ॥12॥
Then the guards, having impaled the sage on the stake, returned to the king carrying the goods they had recovered.
śūlasthaḥ sa tu dharmātmā kālena mahatā tataḥ । nirāhāro'pi viprarṣir maraṇaṁ nābhyupāgamat । dhārayāmāsa ca prāṇān ṛṣīṁś ca samupānayat ॥13॥
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.
śūlāgre tapyamānena tapas tena mahātmanā । santāpaṁ paramaṁ jagmur munayo'tha parantapa ॥14॥
As the great-souled sage suffered on the stake with his intense austerity, the other sages experienced extreme anguish, O scorcher of foes.
te rātrau śakunā bhūtvā saṁnyavartanta sarvataḥ । darśayanto yathāśakti tam apṛcchan dvijottamam । śrotum icchāmahe brahman kiṁ pāpaṁ kṛtavān asi ॥15॥
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.”
tataḥ sa muniśārdūlas tān uvāca tapodhanān । doṣataḥ kaṁ gamiṣyāmi na hi me'nyo'parādhyati ॥16॥
Then the tiger among sages said to the ascetics: “Whom shall I blame for this fault? Indeed, no one else has offended me.”
rājā ca tam ṛṣiṁ śrutvā niṣkramya saha mantribhiḥ । prasādayām āsa tadā śūlastham ṛṣisattamam ॥17॥
Hearing of the matter, the king came out with his ministers and sought forgiveness from the sage who was on the stake.
yan mayāpakṛtaṁ mohād ajñānād ṛṣisattama । prasādaye tvāṁ tatrāhaṁ na me tvaṁ krodhum arhasi ॥18॥
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.
evam uktas tato rājñā prasādam akaron muniḥ । kṛtaprasādo rājā taṁ tataḥ samavatārayat ॥19॥
Thus addressed by the king, the sage granted his grace. Then, the king, having received it, took him down from the stake.
avatārya ca śūlāgrāt tac chūlaṁ niścakarṣa ha । aśaknuvanś ca niṣkraṣṭuṁ śūlaṁ mūle sa cicchide ॥20॥
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.
sa tathāntargatenaiva śūlena vyacaran muniḥ । sa tena tapasā lokān vijigye durlabhān paraiḥ ॥ aṇīmāṇḍavya iti ca tato lokeṣu kathyate ॥21॥
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.
sa gatvā sadanaṁ vipro dharmasya paramārthavit । āsanasthaṁ tato dharmaṁ dṛṣṭvā upālabhata prabhuḥ ॥22॥
The brāhmaṇa sage, knower of supreme truth, went to the abode of Dharma. Seeing Dharma seated, he reproached him.
kiṁ nu tat duṣkṛtaṁ karma mayā kṛtam ajānatā । yasya iyaṁ phalanirvṛttiḥ īdṛśyāsāditā mayā ॥ śīghram ācakṣva me tattvaṁ paśya me tapaso balam ॥23॥
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.
dharma uvāca॥
Dharma said:
pataṅgakānāṁ puccheṣu tvayā īkā praveśitā । karmaṇaḥ tasya te prāptaṁ phalam etat tapodhana ॥24॥
A blade of grass was inserted by you into the tails of insects. This is the fruit of that act, O ascetic.
aṇīmāṇḍavya uvāca॥
Aṇīmāṇḍavya said:
alpe'parādhe vipulo mama daṇḍas tvayā kṛtaḥ । śūdrayonāv ato dharma mānuṣaḥ sambhaviṣyasi ॥25॥
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.
maryādāṁ sthāpayāmy adya loke dharmaphalodayām । ā caturdaśamād varṣān na bhaviṣyati pātakam ॥ pareṇa kurvatām evaṁ doṣa eva bhaviṣyati ॥26॥
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.
vaiśampāyana uvāca॥
Vaiśampāyana said:
etena tv aparādhena śāpāt tasya mahātmanaḥ । dharmo vidurarūpeṇa śūdrayonāv ajāyata ॥27॥
By the fault and the curse of that great soul, Dharma was born in a śūdra womb in the form of Vidura.
dharme cārthe ca kuśalo lobhakrodhavivarjitaḥ । dīrghadarśī śamaparaḥ kurūṇāṁ ca hite rataḥ ॥28॥
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.
