स गत्वा सदनं विप्रो धर्मस्य परमार्थवित् ॥
आसनस्थं ततो धर्मं दृष्ट्वोपालभत प्रभुः ॥
किं नु तद् दुष्कृतं कर्म मया कृतम् अजानता ॥
यस्येयं फलनिर्वृत्तिर् ईदृश्य् आसादिता मया ॥
शीघ्रम् आचक्ष्व मे तत्त्वं पश्य मे तपसो बलम् ॥
sa gatvā sadanaṃ vipro dharmasya paramārthavit ||
āsanasthaṃ tato dharmaṃ dṛṣṭvopālabhata prabhuḥ ||
kiṃ nu tad duṣkṛtaṃ karma mayā kṛtam ajānatā ||
yasyeyaṃ phalanirvṛttir īdṛśy āsāditā mayā ||
śīghram ācakṣva me tattvaṃ paśya me tapaso balam ||
"That brahmin, knowing the highest truth, having come to the abode of Dharma and seen Dharma seated upon his throne, reproached the lord: 'What evil deed have I committed, unknowing, whose fruit I have thus obtained? Tell me the truth at once; behold the power of my austerity.'"
8a00a9415ffc · published Jul 12, 2026, 4:30:26 PM UTC
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Here the ascetic, by the power of tapas, ascends to the god Dharma himself to learn the cause of his torment. The very boldness of this is significant: Mandavya is not afraid to reproach the god who upholds the law -- for a righteous man, established in truth, speaks truthfully even to lords. This is not pride but the directness of a saint who seeks not vengeance but understanding: 'what deed have I committed, unknowing (ajanata)?' -- he admits his guilt but is bewildered at its disproportion to the punishment. The words 'behold the power of my austerity' are significant: tapas grants the ascetic access even to the halls of the gods and the right to demand an answer. Thus the scripture leads to the heart of the lesson -- the question of the justice of retribution: can an unknown, minor offense bring such grievous suffering? This question of Mandavya's, and Dharma's answer, will disclose the subtle law of measure in karma, which will become a blessing for all people.