8. VIDURA:

THE sage Mandavya who had acquired
strength of mind and knowledge of the
scriptures, spent his days in penance and
the practice of truth.

He lived in a hermitage in the forests on
the outskirts of the city. One day while he
was immersed in silent contemplation
under the shade of a tree outside his hut of
leaves, a band of robbers fled through the
woods with officers of the king in hot
pursuit.

The fugitives entered the ashrama
thinking that it would be a convenient
place to hide themselves in. They placed
their booty in a corner and hid themselves.
The soldiers of the king came to the
ashrama tracking their footsteps.

The commander of the soldiers asked
Mandavya, who was rapt in deep
meditation in a tone of peremptory
command: "Did you see the robbers pass
by? Where did they go? Reply at once so
that we may give chase and capture
them."

The sage, who was absorbed in yoga,
remained silent. The commander repeated
the question insolently. But the sage did
not hear anything. In the meantime some
of the attendants entered the ashrama and
discovered the stolen goods lying there.
They reported this to their commander.
All of them went in and found the stolen
goods and the robbers who were in hiding.
The commander thought: "Now I know
the reason why the brahmana pretended to
be a silent sage. He is indeed the chief of
these robbers. He has inspired this
robbery." Then he ordered his soldiers to
guard the place, went to the king and told
him that the sage Mandavya had been
caught with the stolen goods.

The king was very angry at the audacity
of the chief of the robbers who had put on
the garb of a brahmana sage, the better to
deceive the world. Without pausing to
verify the facts, he ordered the wicked
criminal, as he thought him, to be
impaled.

The commander returned to the
hermitage, impaled Mandavya on a spear
and handed over the stolen things to the
king.

The virtuous sage, though impaled on the
spear, did not die. Since he was in yoga
when he was impaled he remained alive
by the power of yoga. Sages who lived in
other parts of the forest came to his
hermitage and asked Mandavya how he
came to be in that terrible pass.

Mandavya replied: "Whom shall I blame?
The servants of the king, who protect the
world, have inflicted this punishment."
The king was surprised and frightened
when he heard that the impaled sage was
still alive and that he was surrounded by
the other sages of the forest. He hastened
to the forest with his attendants and at
once ordered the sage to be taken down
from the spear. Then he prostrated at his
feet and prayed humbly to be forgiven for
the offence unwittingly committed.

Mandavya was not angry with the king.
He went straight to Dharma, the divine
dispenser of justice, who was seated on
his throne, and asked him: "What crime
have I committed to deserve this torture?"
Lord Dharma, who knew the great power
of the sage, replied in all humility: "O
sage, you have tortured birds and bees.
Are you not aware that all deeds, good or
bad, however small, inevitably produce
their results, good or evil?"

Mandavya was surprised at this reply of
Lord Dharma and asked: "When did I
commit this offence?"

Lord Dharma replied: "When you were a
child."
Mandavya then pronounced a curse on
Dharma: "This punishment you have
decreed is far in excess of the deserts of a
mistake committed by a child in
ignorance. Be born, therefore, as a mortal
in the world."

Lord Dharma who was thus cursed by the
sage Mandavya incarnated as Vidura and
was born of the servant-maid of
Ambalika, the wife of Vichitravirya.

This story is intended to show that Vidura
was the incarnation of Dharma. The great
men of the world regarded Vidura as a
mahatma who was unparalleled in his
knowledge of dharma, sastras and
statesmanship and was totally devoid of
attachment and anger. Bhishma appointed
him, while he was still in his teens, as the
chief counsellor of king Dhritarashtra.
Vyasa has it that no one in the three
worlds could equal Vidura in virtue and
knowledge. When Dhritarashtra gave his,
permission for the game of dice, Vidura
fell at his feet and protested solemnly: "O
king and lord, I cannot approve of this
action. Strife will set in among your sons
as a result. Pray, do not allow this."

Dhritarashtra also tried in manly ways to
dissuade his wicked son. He said to him:
"Do not proceed with this game. Vidura
does not approve of it, the wise Vidura of
lofty intellect who is ever intent on our
welfare. He says the game is bound to
result in a fierceness of hate which will
consume us and our kingdom."

But Duryodhana did not heed this advice.
Carried away by his doting fondness for
his son, Dhritarashtra surrendered his
better judgment and sent to Yudhishthira
the fateful invitation to the game.