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 · प्रकाशित 12 जुल॰ 2026, 4:30:26 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
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.