किं कृतं कर्म धर्मेण येन शापमुपेयिवान्। कस्य शापाच्च ब्रह्मर्षेः शूद्रयोनावजायत
What deed did Dharma perform that he incurred a curse? And by whose curse was the great sage born in a śūdra womb?
बभूव ब्राह्मणः कश्चिन्माण्डव्य इति विश्रुतः। धृतिमान्सर्वधर्मज्ञः सत्ये तपसि च स्थितः
There was a certain brāhmaṇa named Māṇḍavya, renowned, steadfast, knowing all dharma, firm in truth and austerity.
स तीर्थयात्रां विचरन्नाजगाम यदृच्छया। संनिकृष्टानि तीर्थानि ग्रामाणां यानि कानि च। तत्राश्रमपदं कृत्वा वसति स्म महामुनिः
He, wandering on a pilgrimage, came by chance to various holy places near villages; there, establishing his hermitage, the great sage dwelled.
स आश्रमपदद्वारि वृक्षमूले महातपाः। ऊर्ध्वबाहुर्महायोगी तस्थौ मौनव्रतान्वितः
At the entrance of his hermitage, beneath a tree, the great ascetic stood with arms raised, absorbed in great yoga, observing a vow of silence.
तस्य कालेन महता तस्मिंस्तपसि वर्ततः। तमाश्रममनुप्राप्ता दस्यवो लोप्त्रहारिणः
While he was engaged in that great austerity for a long time, robbers who stole plunder came to his hermitage.
अनुसार्यमाणा बहुभी रक्षिभिर्भरतर्षभ। `तामेव वसतिं जग्मुस्ते ग्रामाल्लोप्त्रहारिणः
Pursued by many guards, O bull among the Bharatas, those thieves who had stolen plunder entered that very dwelling.
यस्मिन्नावसथे शेते स मुनिः संशितव्रतः।' ते तस्यावसथे लोप्त्रं दस्यवः कुरुसत्तम
In that dwelling where the sage, firm in his vows, lay, those thieves, O best of Kurus, hid their plunder there.
निधाय च भयाल्लीनास्तत्रैवानागते बले। तेषु लीनेष्वथो शीघ्रं ततस्तद्रक्षिणां बलम्
And, out of fear, they concealed themselves there before the guards arrived; when they had hidden, the guards quickly came to that place.
आजगाम ततोऽपश्यंस्तमृषिं तस्करानुगाः। तमपृच्छंस्ततो राजंस्तथावृत्तं तपोधनम्
Then I arrived and saw that sage, accompanied by the thieves; I questioned that ascetic, O King, about what had happened.
कतरेण पथा याता दस्यवो द्विजसत्तम। तेन गच्छामहे ब्रह्मन्यथा शीघ्रतरं वयम्
By which path did the robbers go, O best of twice-born? We will go that way, O Brahmin, so that we may reach them more quickly.
तथा तु रक्षिमां तेषां ब्रुवतां स तपोधनः। न किंचिद्वचनं राजन्नब्रवीत्साध्वसाधु वा
But as they spoke thus, asking him, that ascetic did not utter any word, O King, neither good nor bad.
ततस्ते राजपुरुषा विचिन्वानास्तमाश्रमम्। ददृशुस्तत्र लीनांस्तांश्चोरांस्तद्द्रव्यमेव च
Then the king’s men, searching his hermitage, saw there the thieves hiding, and the stolen goods as well.
ततः शङ्का समभवद्रक्षिणां तं मुनिं प्रति। संयम्यैनं ततो राज्ञे दस्यूंश्चैव न्यवेदयन्
Then suspicion arose among the guards regarding that sage; restraining him, they reported both him and the thieves to the king.
तं राजा सह तैश्चोरैरन्वशाद्वध्यतामिति। स रक्षिभिस्तैरज्ञातः शूले प्रोतो महातपाः
The king, together with those thieves, condemned him to death; unknown to them, that great ascetic was impaled on a stake by the guards.
ततस्ते शूलमारोप्य तं मुनिं रक्षिणस्तदा। प्रतिजग्मुर्महीपालं धनान्यादाय तान्यथ
Then those guards, having impaled the sage on the stake, returned to the king, taking with them the wealth.
शूलस्थः स तु धर्मात्मा कालेन महता ततः। निराहारोऽपि विप्रर्षिर्मरणं नाभ्यपद्यत
That righteous sage, though impaled on the stake for a long time and without food, did not meet death.
धारयामास च प्राणानृषींश्च समुपानयत्। शूलाग्रे तप्यमानेन तपस्तेन महात्मना
He sustained his life and summoned other sages; enduring the pain at the tip of the stake, that great soul performed austerity.
सन्तापं परमं जग्मुर्मुनयस्तपसाऽन्विताः। ते रात्रौ शकुना भूत्वा सन्निपत्त्य तु भारत। दर्शन्तो यथाशक्ति तमपृच्छन्द्विजोत्तमम्
The sages, endowed with austerity, experienced great distress; at night, O Bharata, they gathered together in the form of birds and questioned that best of Brahmins as best they could.
श्रोतुमिच्छामहे ब्रह्मन्किं पापं कृतवानसि। येनेह समनुप्राप्तं शूले दुःखभयं महत्
We wish to hear, O Brahmin, what sin you have committed, by which you have come to this great suffering and fear on the stake.
ततः स मुनिशार्दूलस्तानुवाच तपोधनान्। दोषतः कं गमिष्यामि न हि मेऽन्योपराध्यति
Then that tiger among sages spoke to those ascetics: 'By my own fault I shall go; no one else has wronged me.'
तं दृष्ट्वा रक्षिणस्तत्र तथा बहुतिथेऽहनि। न्यवेदयंस्तथा राज्ञे यथावृत्तं नराधिप
Seeing him thus, the guards, after many days, reported to the king exactly what had happened.
राजा च तमृषिं श्रुत्वा निष्क्रम्य सह मन्त्रिभिः। प्रसादयामास तदा शूलस्थमृषिसत्तमम्
And the king, hearing of that sage, went out with his ministers and sought to appease that best of sages, who was impaled on the stake.
यन्मयाऽपकृतं मोहादज्ञानादृषिसत्तम। प्रसादये त्वां तत्राहं न मे त्वं क्रोद्धुमर्हसि
'Whatever wrong I have done to you out of delusion or ignorance, O best of sages, I beg your forgiveness; you should not be angry with me.'
एवमुक्तस्ततो राज्ञा प्रसादमकरोन्मुनिः। कृतप्रसादं राजा तं ततः समवतारयत्
Thus addressed by the king, the sage granted him forgiveness; and when the king had been forgiven, he took him down from the stake.
अवतार्य च शूलाग्रात्तच्छूलं निश्चकर्ष ह। अशक्नुवंश्च निष्क्रष्टुं शूलं मूले स चिच्छिदे
Having taken him down from the tip of the stake, he tried to pull out the stake, but being unable to extract it, he cut it off at the base.
स तथान्तर्गतेनैव शूलेन व्यचरन्मुनिः। कण्ठपार्श्वान्तरस्थेन शङ्कुना मुनिराचत्। पुष्पभाजनधारी स्यादिति चिन्तापरोऽभवत्
Thus, with the stake remaining inside him, the sage moved about; with the point lodged in his throat and side, the sage thought, 'I should carry a vessel for flowers.'
स चातितपसा लोकान्विजिग्ये दुर्लभान्परैः
And by his intense austerity, he conquered worlds that are difficult for others to attain.
अणीमाण्डव्य इति च ततो लोकेषु गीयते। स गत्वा सदनं विप्रो धर्मस्य परमार्थवित्
Therefore, he is called Aṇimāṇḍavya among people; and that sage, knower of the highest truth, went to the abode of Dharma.
आसनस्थं ततो धर्मं दृष्ट्वोपालभत प्रभुम्। किं नु तद्दुष्कृतं कर्म मया कृतमजानता
Seeing Dharma seated, he addressed the lord: 'What is that wrongful deed, done by me unknowingly,'
यस्येयं फलनिर्वृत्तिरीदृश्यासादिता मया। शीघ्रमाचक्ष्व मे तत्त्वं पश्य मे तपसो बलम्
'whose result has come to me in this form? Quickly tell me the truth; witness the power of my austerity.'