Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c4.656

c4.656

1) General. How he got the name Aṇimāṇḍavya. Once there was a famous Brahmin named Māṇḍavya. He did Tapas (penance) for many years standing silent in front of his Āśrama, under a tree, raising his hands in prayer. At that time some thieves happened to pass by that place, with stolen property belonging to the King. Finding that the King's men were pursuing them, the thieves fled away after leaving their stolen property in Māṇḍavya's Āśrama. The King's men seized Māṇḍavya with the king's property. Even prolonged and repeated questionings did not bring out a single word from Māṇḍavya. At last the thieves were caught. Mistaking him as one of the thieves, the King's men produced Māṇḍavya also along with the thieves before the King. The thieves were all condemned to death. The royal executioners took all of them to the place of execution and stuck them up at the tip of a trident (Śūla). The thieves died, but even after a long time Māṇḍavya did not die. In Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Verses 46-51, it is said that at this stage Śiva appeared and blessed him with longevity and then vanished. Several Munis in the shape of birds came near Māṇḍavya who was lying on the trident and made enquiries about him. The King came to know of all these stories. Full of repentance, he went and begged pardon of Māṇḍavya. The attempt to pull out the trident from Māṇḍavya's body failed. At last it was removed by cutting it off. Since the tip (Aṇi) of the trident was left behind in his body he was there-after known as "Aṇi Māṇḍavya". (M.B., Ādi Parva, Chapter 107).