Mahabharata - Story of Sage Ani Mandavya

Ani Mandavya and Dharma

Mandavya was an ascetic who lived a very pious and religious life. He was conversant with all the Vedas and used to observe the vow of silence by upraising his arms at the entrance of the hermitage. One day a gang of thieves had stolen some booties and they were hard chased by the king's men. The thieves had come near the hermitage and dumped their spoils nearby an hid themselves. The guards came and knew for sure that the thief or thieves were nearby and they could not find anybody other than the rishi. They then asked the rishi as to the whereabouts of the robbers. The rishi did not answer as he was under a vow of silence. The guards then discovered the booty nearby and thinking that the rishi belonged to the gang of robbers, arrested him and took him to the king. The thieves were also caught. The king ordered them to be executed by impaling them (over a Shula or a sharp edged long pole). The executioners carried out the order and impaled the sage but Mandavya did not die. He suffered terribly but because of his great Yogic power he survived and also called other great sages to him. The other sages thus summoned became very sad but the great ascetic did not blame anybody than himself for the suffering. The officers finding the sage to be alive informed the king. The king hurriedly came to the spot and asked to be pardoned. Finding the rishi to be free of any anger he himself brought the rishi down and attempted to cut him from the stake. However a part of stake remained in the rishi's body and thus he came to be known as Ani-Mandavya. With that the rishi performed severest of penances and attained highest regions (of heaven).

After his death the rishi came to Dharma or Yama, the king of justice and asked him the reason for his suffering despite being blameless. Dharma replied that he had in childhood pierced an insect with a blade of grass. That is the reason why he had to suffer. The rishi became angry at this and said that it is a common knowledge that the sin committed in childhood is no sin at all. He also promulgated that any sin committed before age of fourteen would not be considered as sin as below that age senses of virtue and sin do not develop fully in a child. He then cursed king Dharma to be born on earth as a mortal and suffer from all trials and tribulations to which a mortal is subjected. And for that curse Dharma was born on earth as Vidura, the uncle of Pandavas and Kauravas and son of Vyasa, in the womb of  s Sudra woman.