Mahabharata – 174
by
Sankar Mukherjee
&
Dr Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
 Aadivamsavatarana Parva

The story of Mandavya

At the site of the snake sacrifice the king Janamejaya was hearing Vaisampayana telling stories.Vaisampayana told us how the god of justice was born in the womb of a sudra mother.Janamejaya was surprised to hear it. He asked  --- What did the god of justice do for which he was born in the womb of a sudra woman? And who was the Brahmarshi that  cursed him due to which he had to be born of a Sudra mother?

Vaisampayana said --- There was a great Brahmana known by the name  Mandavya. He was conversant with all the duties and was devoted to religion, truth and asceticism. The great ascetic used to sit at the entrance of his ashrama under a tree, with his arms raised  upwards while observing  the vow of silence. And  he was meditating  there for years together.One day there came to his ashrama a number of thieves with their stolen material.Those thieves were  pursued by a number of  security guards.  The thieves, hid there in that ashrama of Mandavya in fear  with their stolen things. But scarcely they had hidden there when the security guards following them came to that ashrama. The guards, seeing the Mandavya muni sitting under the tree, questioned him --- Oh best of the Brahmanas! Which way have the thieves run away? Please tell us so that we may follow them without loss of time.But Maharshi  Mandavya did not utter a single word in reply. Then the guards of the king, searched that ashrama and discovered the hidden thieves there with the stolen treasure. On this, their suspicion fell upon the muni, and accordingly they took him with the thieves and brought him before the king. The king sentenced him to be executed along with his supposed associates.

And the guards,not knowing him a sage  in ignorance, carried out the order of the king by transfixing the sage Mandayva with sharp weapon. And having lanced him, they went to the king with the stolen material  they had recovered. But the virtuous sage, though lanced and kept without food, remained in that state for a long time without dying. And the sage by his ascetic power not only preserved his life but summoned other sages to the scene and they became very sorry. And they came there in the night in the forms of birds, and saw him engaged in meditation though lanced. And they disclosed their identity to Mandavya and asked ------- Oh Brahmana, we desire to know what has been your sin for which you have been thus made to suffer.

Thus asked, the best among the munis then answered those great sages ------------- Whom shall I blame for this? In fact, none else than my  self has offended me! After this, the guards of the town seeing him alive, informed the king of it. The king hearing what they said,  came to the place with his advisers and began to pacify the sage, fixed on the lance.

And the king said ---------- Oh you best of sages, I have offended you in ignorance. I beseech you to pardon me for the same. I plead to you not to be angry with me.

Thus addressed by the king, the sage was pacified. And seeing him free from wrath, the king took him up with the stake and tried  to remove the lance from his body. But they did not succeed. Finally they cut it off at the point just outside the body. The sage, with a portion of the lance within his body, continued his practice of  austerity and penannce. He travelled  from one country to another in that state. He conquered numberless regions unattainable by others.

And as because a part of the lance remained within his body, he came to be known in the  world by the name  Ani-Mandavya.

And one day the great Mandavya conversant with the highest truth of religion went to the abode of the god of Justice. And seeing him seated on his throne, the sage blame him and said, What was that sinful act committed by me unconsciously, for which I am bearing this punishment? Oh, tell me soon! And see my  power of asceticism.

The god of justice, thus questioned, replied --------Oh! a little insect was once pierced by you with a blade of grass. You now bear  the consequence of the act. Oh brahmrshi! Just as an act of charity, however small, multiplies in respect of its religious merits, so does a sinful act multiply and engenders great sufferings.On hearing this, Ani-Mandavya asked --------- Oh tell me truly! At what age was this act committed by me?. In reply, the god of justice told that he had committed it, when he was a child.

The sage said --- Henceforth,if any child till the age of twelve commits any thing wrong he or she must not be deemed to be a sinner.  The gods also shall not recognise any wrongful act done by a child  as sinful. The punishment you have forced upon me for such a tolerable offence has been disproportionate in its severity. The killing of a Brahmana involves a sin that is heavier than the killing of any other living being. You shall, therefore, Oh god of justice! You shall be born among men  in the Sudra order. And from this day I establish the limit in respect of the consequence of acts that shall not be sinful when committed by one below the age of fourteen. But when any wrongful act is committed by one above that age, it shall be regarded as sin.

Cursed for this fault by that illustrious sage, the god of justice had to born as Vidura in the Sudra order. And Vidura was well-versed in the doctrines of morality and also politics and worldly profit. And he was entirely free from greed and wrath. Possessed of great foresight and great tranquility of mind, Vidura was ever devoted to the welfare of the Kurus.