कस्यचिद्यदि कार्यं स्याद्दास्या प्राणेष्टया मम । स ब्रवीतु त्वरायुक्तो यावत्स्वं धारयाम्यहम्
'If anyone has need of a maidservant, one dearer to me than life, let him speak quickly, while I still have the strength to endure.'
तेऽब्रुवन्पण्डिताः कस्त्वं पत्नीं विक्रेतुमागतः । राजोवाच - किं मां पृच्छथ कस्त्वं भो नृशंसोऽहममानुषः
They, the learned, said: 'Who are you, who have come to sell your wife?' The king said: 'Why do you ask who I am? O, I am cruel, inhuman.'
राक्षसो वास्मि कठिनस्ततः पापं करोम्यहम् । व्यास उवाच - तं शब्दं सहसा श्रुत्वा कौशिको विप्ररूपधृक्
'I am a demon, I am hard-hearted, and therefore I do this sinful act.' Vyasa said: Hearing those words suddenly, Kaushika, taking the form of a Brahmin—
वृद्धरूपं समास्थाय हरिश्चन्द्रमभाषत । समर्पयस्व मे दासीमहं क्रेता धनप्रदः
Assuming the form of an old man, he spoke to Harishchandra: 'Hand her over to me as a maidservant; I am the buyer and will give wealth.'
अस्ति मे वित्तमतुलं सुकुमारी च मे प्रिया । गृहकर्म न शक्नोति कर्तुमस्मात्प्रयच्छ मे
'I have incomparable wealth, and my beloved is delicate; she cannot perform household work, therefore give her to me.'
अहं गृह्णामि दासीं तु कति दास्यामि ते धनम् । एवमुक्ते तु विप्रेण हरिश्चन्द्रस्य भूपतेः
'I will take her as a maidservant; how much wealth shall I give you?' When the Brahmin had spoken thus to King Harishchandra—
विदीर्णं तु मनो दुःखान्न चैनं किञ्चिदब्रवीत् । विप्र उवाच - कर्मणश्च वयोरूपशीलानां तव योषितः
His mind was torn with grief, and he said nothing to him. The Brahmin said: 'According to the work, age, appearance, and character of your wife—'
अनुरूपमिदं वित्तं गृहाणार्पय मेऽबलाम् । धर्मशास्त्रेषु यद् दृष्टं स्त्रियो मौल्यं नरस्य च
'This is the appropriate price; accept it and hand over the woman to me. As is seen in the scriptures, the price for women and for men—'
द्वात्रिंशल्लक्षणोपेता दक्षा शीलगुणान्विता । कोटिमौल्यं सुवर्णस्य स्त्रियः पुंसस्तथार्बुदम्
'A woman endowed with thirty-two marks, skilled and possessing virtues, is valued at a crore of gold; for a man, it is ten million.'
इत्याकर्ण वचस्तस्य हरिश्चन्द्रो महीपतिः । दुःखेन महताऽऽविष्टो न चैनं किञ्चिदब्रवीत्
Hearing these words, King Harishchandra, overwhelmed with great sorrow, said nothing to him.
ततः स विप्रो नृपतेः पुरतो वल्कलोपरि । धनं निधाय केशेषु धृत्वा राज्ञीमकर्षयत्
Then that Brahmin, in the presence of the king, placed the money upon his bark garment, seized the queen by the hair, and dragged her away.
राज्ञ्युवाच - मुञ्च मुञ्चार्य मां सद्यो यावत्पश्याम्यहं सुतम् । दुर्लभं दर्शनं विप्र पुनरस्य भविष्यति
The queen said: 'Release me, release me, O master, just for a moment, so that I may see my son; O Brahmin, it will be difficult to see him again.'
पश्येह पुत्र मामेवं मातरं दास्यतां गताम् । मां मास्प्राक्षी राजपुत्र न स्पृश्याहं त्वयाधुना
'See me here, my son, as your mother has become a slave; do not touch me, O prince, for now I am not to be touched by you.'
ततः स बालः सहसा दृष्ट्वाऽऽकृष्टां तु मातरम् । समभ्यधावदम्बेति वदन्साश्रुविलोचनः
Then the boy, suddenly seeing his mother being dragged away, ran toward her, crying 'Mother!' with tear-filled eyes.
हस्ते वस्त्रं समाकर्षन् काकपक्षधरः स्खलन् । तमागतं द्विजः क्रोधाद् बालमप्याहनत्तदा
As the boy with matted hair clung to his mother's garment, the brahmin, angered at his approach, struck even the child.
वदंस्तथापि सोऽम्बेति नैव मुञ्चति मातरम् । राज्ञ्युवाच - प्रसादं कुरु मे नाथ क्रीणीष्वेमं हि बालकम्
Though the boy cried out, 'Mother!' he would not release her; the queen said: 'Master, show me mercy—please purchase this child from me.'
क्रीतापि नाहं भविता विनैनं कार्यसाधिका । इत्थं ममाल्पभाग्यायाः प्रसादं कुरु मे प्रभो
'Even if I am bought, without him I cannot fulfill my duties; O Lord, have compassion on me, so unfortunate.'
ब्राह्मण उवाच - गृह्यतां वित्तमेतत्ते दीयतां मम बालकः । स्त्रीपुंसोर्धर्मशास्त्रज्ञैः कृतमेव हि वेतनम्
The brahmin said: 'Take your wealth, and give me the boy; the price has indeed been set by those learned in the law of men and women.'
शतं सहस्रं लक्षं च कोटिमौल्यं तथापरैः । द्वात्रिंशल्लक्षणोपेता दक्षा शीलगुणान्विता
'A hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand, or even a crore in value—endowed with thirty-two marks, skilled, and possessing good conduct and virtues.'
कोटिमौल्यं स्त्रियः प्रोक्तं पुरुषस्य तथार्बुदम् । सूत उवाच - तथैव तस्य तद्वित्तं पुरः क्षिप्तं पटे पुनः
'A woman's price is said to be a crore, and for a man, ten crores.' The bard said: 'In the same way, his wealth was again placed before him on a cloth.'
प्रगृह्य बालकं मात्रा सहैकस्थमबन्धयत् । प्रतस्थे स गृहं क्षिप्रं तया सह मुदान्वितः
Taking the boy, he bound him together with his mother; then, filled with joy, he quickly set out for home with her.
प्रदक्षिणां तु सा कृत्वा जानुभ्यां प्रणता स्थिता । बाष्पपर्याकुला दीना त्विदं वचनमब्रवीत्
She made a circumambulation, then knelt and bowed; overwhelmed with tears and sorrow, she spoke these words:
यदि दत्तं यदि हुतं ब्राह्मणास्तर्पिता यदि । तेन पुण्येन मे भर्ता हरिश्चन्द्रोऽस्तु वै पुनः
'If I have given, if I have offered, if the brahmins have been satisfied, by that merit may my husband, Harishchandra, return to me.'
पादयोः पतितां दृष्ट्वा प्राणेभ्योऽपि गरीयसीम् । हाहेति च वदन् राजा विललापाकुलेन्द्रियः
Seeing her fallen at his feet, more precious than his own life, the king, crying 'Alas!' lamented, his senses overcome.
वियुक्तेयं कथं जाता सत्यशीलगुणान्विता । वृक्षच्छायापि वृक्षं तं न जहाति कदाचन
'How has she, endowed with truth, character, and virtue, been separated from me? Even the shade of a tree never abandons its tree.'
एवं भार्यां वदित्वाथ सुसम्बद्धं परस्परम् । पुत्रं च तमुवाचेदं मां त्वं हित्वा क्व यास्यसि
Having thus spoken to his wife, so closely bound to each other, he said to his son: 'Where will you go, leaving me behind?'
कां दिशं प्रति यास्यामि को मे दुःखं निवारयेत् । राज्यत्यागे न मे दुःखं वनवासे न मे द्विज
'To which direction shall I go? Who will relieve my sorrow? I did not grieve at giving up the kingdom, nor at dwelling in the forest, O brahmin.'
यत्पुत्रेण वियोगो मे एवमाह स भूपतिः । सद्भर्तृभोग्या हि सदा लोके भार्या भवन्ति हि
Thus the king spoke: 'But separation from my son is my true grief. For in this world, wives are always meant to be enjoyed by their husbands.'
मया त्यक्तासि कल्याणि दुःखेन विनियोजिता । इक्ष्वाकुवंशसम्भूतं सर्वराज्यसुखोचितम्
'I have abandoned you, O blessed one, and consigned you to suffering, though you were born of the Ikshvaku line and worthy of all royal pleasures.'
मामीदृशां पतिं प्राप्य दासीभावं गता ह्यसि । ईदृशे मज्जमानं मां सुमहच्छोकसागरे
'Having gained such a husband as I, you have come to the state of a slave; and I am sinking in this vast ocean of sorrow.'