Mandavya (), also called Aṇi Māṇḍavya, is a sage in Hinduism. He is best known for a legend where he is wrongfully punished by a king by impalement.

Legend

Impalement

According to the Mahabharata, Mandavya was once performing a tapas with his arms raised, standing in front of his ashrama for many years. During this period, some thieves happened to pass by his ashrama, having stolen property belonging to the king. Finding that the king’s men were pursuing them, the thieves fled, after leaving their stolen property in the sage's ashrama. The king’s men seized Mandavya, believing him to be an accomplice. Mandavya refused to talk to his accusers. When the thieves were caught, Mandavya also along produced before the king, and they were all condemned to death. The thieves and the sage were struck at the tip of a trident, and while the thieves died, Mandavya stayed alive. According to the

Brahmanda Purana The ''Brahmanda Purana'' ( sa, ब्रह्माण्ड पुराण, ) is a Sanskrit text and one of the eighteen major Puranas, a genre of Hindu texts. It is listed as the eighteenth Maha-Purana in almost all the anthologies. The text ...

, even as the sage underwent this suffering, Ugrashravas, the husband of Shilavati, wished to visit the house of his favourite prostitute, and Shilavati agreed to carry him to her house. When the couple came across Mandavya, the latter understood the man's intentions, and cursed him to die before the next sunrise. Horrified, Shilavati, with her piety, ensured that

Surya Surya (; sa, सूर्य, ) is the sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a m ...

, the sun god, would not rise the next dawn. Since this led to universal chaos, the devas approached Anasuya, who convinced Shilavati to have the sun rise again. Shiva blessed the sage with longevity, and several sages appeared before Mandavya, making enquiries regarding him. When the king realised that Mandavya was innocent, he rushed to seek the sage's forgiveness. His men tried to pull the trident from his body, but were unable to do so. Finally, the sage had to be released by cutting the trident, with its tip (Aṇi) remaining in his form. Hence, he came to be known as Aṇi Mandavya. Dharmaraj and animandavya

Cursing Dharma

Mandavya approached

Dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

(Sometimes identified with Yama), asking why an innocent man like him had suffered the hardship that he had gone through. Dharma answered by stating that Mandavya had tortured small birds when he was a boy, and his impalement had been the punishment. The sage countered that Shashtras stated that no man should have to suffer for any sin committed before the age of twelve, stating that he had been unjustly punished. Since Dharma had attempted to murder him, a Brahmin, the greatest of sins, he cursed the deity to be born as a Shudra on earth. Accordingly, Dharma incarnated himself as Vidura in the Mahabharata.

References

{{HinduMythology Rishis Characters in the Mahabharata