8. Mandavya, The Sage

As you sow, so you reap; So is a man's fate born.           -- Lord Buddha Mandavya, while he was a boy, was given to cruel jokes. He would catch dragon-flies and drive thin bits of stick through their bodies. He would enjoy the sight of their sufferings as they twisted their long thin bodies when put to torture. Such were the playful but cruel jokes he used to indulge in while young. Let us see what the result of this cruelty was.     Mandavya grew up to be a man. He saw the wickedness of his jokes. He was smitten with sorrow and remorse. He went to a forest nearby, built himself a small hut and devoted his time tapas which means penance. While doing penance, he would not move any of his limbs but would sit upright, thinking only of God.     One night, thieves broke into the palace of the king of the country and ran away with much of the royal jewellery. When pursued, the thieves ran to the forest to hide themselves. Finding Mandavya engaged in deep meditation in front of his hut, and the hut empty, they took shelter there.     The officers of the king searched for the thieves for a long time and at last came to Mandavya's hut. Finding Mandavya seated alone in front of the hut, they asked him whether he knew anything about the theft in the king's palace or whether he bad seen anybody taking refuge anywhere there.     But Mandavya was in deep meditation. His mind was all centred on the Supreme Being. His eyes were open; but he saw them not; nor did he hear what the officers of the king asked him. So the officers grew very angry at what they thought to be the arrogance of the silent man.     They looked about the hut and entering it found all the jewels stolon from the king's palace. The. thieves ran away leaving the jewels in the hut and Mandayya was taken to be the thief. He was made a prisoner and taken to the king. When the king saw Mandavya, he asked his officers, 'How is it that you have brought Mandavya? He is an innocent sage. He is a holy man who does penance in the forest.'  'Your Majesty,' answered the policemen, 'a greater rogue than this man never lived. We too at first thought that he was a holy man. But when we entered his hut, we learnt the truth about this pretended saint. We found the royal jewels within his hut.'     The king was astonished to hear what his officers told him. The king, therefore, ordered that Mandavya should be put in the stocks, a punishment common in those days for such offences.     Many days passed with Mandavya in the stocks; but he was ever absorbed in deep meditation. The king began to wonder how Mandavya could remain calm in spite of the terrible pain of the stocks, if he were a rogue as the policemen thought. He was sure that some terrible mistake had been made. Mandavya could certainly not have had anything to do with thieves or thefts. So he ordered Mandavya to be set free.     Now Mandavya was free; but his mind was sore troubled. 'Why did the king put me to such torture? I knew nothing of the jewels or of their loss. I care not for wealth. Yet why this shame and torture?'     At last a thought flashed across his mind as he sat deeply thinking of his past days.     'Ah, I know it. It is the curse of the poor insects that I tortured when I was a boy. Yes, I deserve it all.' And Mandavya the sage continued the penance. ****  **** Additional Information of Interest Click here to find out more about the antecedents of the sage Mandavya.