महाभारत · 1.101.24
॥
देवनागरी
धर्म उवाच
पतंगकानां पुच्छेषु त्वयेषीका प्रवेशिता ॥
कर्मणस् तस्य ते प्राप्तं फलम् एतत् तपोधन ॥
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
dharma uvāca
pataṃgakānāṃ puccheṣu tvayeṣīkā praveśitā ||
karmaṇas tasya te prāptaṃ phalam etat tapodhana ||
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
पतंगकानां पुच्छेषु त्वया ईषीका प्रवेशिताpataṃgakānāṃ puccheṣu tvayā īṣīkā praveśitāinto the tails of small insects you inserted a blade of grass (a reed stalk)
कर्मणः तस्य ते प्राप्तं फलम् एतत् तपोधनkarmaṇaḥ tasya te prāptaṃ phalam etat tapodhanathis is the fruit of that deed which you have obtained, O ascetic
धर्मdharmaoriginal form "dharma", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
त्वयेषीकाtvayeṣīkāoriginal form "tvayeṣīkā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कर्मणस्karmaṇasoriginal form "karmaṇas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अनुवाद
Dharma said: 'Into the tails of small insects you once inserted a blade of grass; this is the fruit of that deed which you have obtained, O ascetic.'
संस्करण
bd790fe9c650 · प्रकाशित 12 जुल॰ 2026, 4:30:26 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
Here Dharma reveals the cause: as a child, Mandavya pierced insects with a blade of grass — and for this cruelty inflicted on small creatures, the stake came to him. The correspondence between the offense and the punishment is telling: just as he pierced small living beings, so he himself was pierced by a stake — the law of retribution returns the deed in the same form (as it echoes, so it answers back). This confirms nonviolence (ahiṃsā) as the foundation of dharma: even tormenting a lowly creature — an insect — does not go without its fruit, for all life is sacred, and suffering inflicted on it returns to the one who caused it. It is also significant that the deed was done in the ignorance of childhood, and yet it bore fruit; through this Dharma shows the inexorability of the law of karma, which makes no allowance for ignorance. Yet it is precisely this inexorability that will strike Mandavya as unjust — and from his objection will arise the great mercy of the law concerning the age of accountability, of which the next verse will speak. Thus the scripture teaches reverence before all life and prepares the revelation of measure and mercy within dharma.