SánscritoIASTSignificado
तम् अपृच्छन् ततः राजन् तथावृत्तं तपोधनम्tam apṛcchan tataḥ rājan tathāvṛttaṃ tapodhanamthey then asked him, O king -- the ascetic abiding in that [austerity]
कतरेण पथा याताः दस्यवः द्विजसत्तमkatareṇa pathā yātāḥ dasyavaḥ dvijasattama'by which road did the robbers go, O best of the twice-born?
तेन गच्छामहे ब्रह्मन् पथा शीघ्रतरं वयम्tena gacchāmahe brahman pathā śīghrataraṃ vayamby that road we shall go, O brahmin, with all speed'
तथा तु रक्षिणां तेषां ब्रुवतां सः तपोधनःtathā tu rakṣiṇāṃ teṣāṃ bruvatāṃ saḥ tapodhanaḥbut [while] those guards spoke thus, that ascetic
न किं चित् वचनं राजन् अवदत् साधु असाधु वाna kiṃ cit vacanaṃ rājan avadat sādhu asādhu vāuttered not a single word, O king -- neither good nor bad
ततः ते राजपुरुषाः विचिन्वानाः तत् आश्रमम्tataḥ te rājapuruṣāḥ vicinvānāḥ tat āśramamthen those king's men, searching that hermitage
ददृशुः तत्र संलीनान् तान् चोरान् द्रव्यम् एव चdadṛśuḥ tatra saṃlīnān tān corān dravyam eva casaw the thieves hiding there, and the [stolen] goods
ततः शङ्का समभवत् रक्षिणां तं मुनिं प्रतिtataḥ śaṅkā samabhavat rakṣiṇāṃ taṃ muniṃ pratithen suspicion of that sage arose among the guards
संयम्य एनं ततः राज्ञे दस्यून् च एव न्यवेदयन्saṃyamya enaṃ tataḥ rājñe dasyūn ca eva nyavedayanhaving bound him, they then presented [him] and the robbers to the king
तं राजा सह तैः चोरैः अन्वशात् वध्यताम् इतिtaṃ rājā saha taiḥ coraiḥ anvaśāt vadhyatām itithe king ordered that [he] be [executed] together with those thieves: 'let them be put to death'
सः वध्यघातैः अज्ञातः शूले प्रोतः महातपाःsaḥ vadhyaghātaiḥ ajñātaḥ śūle protaḥ mahātapāḥhe, unrecognized by the executioners, the great ascetic, was impaled upon a stake
ततः ते शूलम् आरोप्य तं मुनिं रक्षिणः तदाtataḥ te śūlam āropya taṃ muniṃ rakṣiṇaḥ tadāthen those guards, having impaled the sage upon the stake, thereupon
प्रतिजग्मुः महीपालं धनानि आदाय तानि अथpratijagmuḥ mahīpālaṃ dhanāni ādāya tāni athareturned to the king, taking that [stolen] wealth
अपृच्छंस्apṛcchaṃsoriginal form "apṛcchaṃs", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ततोtatooriginal form "tato", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
राजंस्rājaṃsoriginal form "rājaṃs", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
याताyātāoriginal form "yātā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
दस्यवोdasyavooriginal form "dasyavo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सsaoriginal form "sa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चिद्cidoriginal form "cid", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
राजन्न्rājannoriginal form "rājann", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
साध्व्sādhvoriginal form "sādhv", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ततस्tatasoriginal form "tatas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
राजपुरुषाrājapuruṣāoriginal form "rājapuruṣā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
विचिन्वानास्vicinvānāsoriginal form "vicinvānās", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तदाश्रमम्tadāśramamoriginal form "tadāśramam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ददृशुस्dadṛśusoriginal form "dadṛśus", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
संलीनांस्saṃlīnāṃsoriginal form "saṃlīnāṃs", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तांश्tāṃśoriginal form "tāṃś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
समभवद्samabhavadoriginal form "samabhavad", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
संयम्यैनंsaṃyamyainaṃoriginal form "saṃyamyainaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ततोtatooriginal form "tato", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
दस्यूंश्dasyūṃśoriginal form "dasyūṃś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चैवcaivaoriginal form "caiva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तैश्taiśoriginal form "taiś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चोरैर्corairoriginal form "corair", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अन्वशाद्anvaśādoriginal form "anvaśād", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सsaoriginal form "sa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वध्यघातैर्vadhyaghātairoriginal form "vadhyaghātair", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
प्रोतोprotooriginal form "proto", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ततस्tatasoriginal form "tatas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
रक्षिणस्rakṣiṇasoriginal form "rakṣiṇas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
प्रतिजग्मुर्pratijagmuroriginal form "pratijagmur", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
धनान्य्dhanānyoriginal form "dhanāny", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तान्य्tānyoriginal form "tāny", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Here a glaring injustice takes place: an innocent righteous man is condemned to execution in place of the thieves. It is significant that the sage keeps his vow of silence even under questioning -- uttering 'neither good nor bad.' Some see in this the very cause of the disaster: a single word would have saved him. But the meaning runs deeper: Mandavya's suffering comes not from his silence but from an ancient law of karma, which will be told further on; the silence merely reveals that the fruit has ripened and is inescapable. The word 'unrecognized' (ajnatah) is significant: the executioners do not know whom they are killing -- the saint suffers from the blindness of those who cannot discern a righteous man. Here is a bitter picture of a world where power, driven by haste and suspicion, punishes the innocent, mistaking presence at a crime for complicity. And yet the saint does not resist, does not justify himself, does not curse -- surrendering himself to the will of the higher law. Thus the scripture reveals the greatness of the ascetic's forbearance and prepares us for a miracle: the stake will not kill one protected by the power of tapas.