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.'
को मामुद्धरते देवि पौराणाख्यानविस्तरैः । सूत उवाच - पश्यतस्तस्य राजर्षेः कशाघातैः सुदारुणैः
'O goddess, who will lift me up from this with the ancient stories and their expanse?' The bard said: 'As the royal sage watched, with cruel lashings—'
घातयित्वा तु विप्रेशो नेतुं समुपचक्रमे । नीयमानौ तु तौ दृष्ट्वा भार्यापुत्रौ स पार्थिवः
The lord of the brahmins, having beaten them, prepared to take them away; and as his wife and son were being led off, the king beheld them.
विललापातिदुःखार्तो निःश्वस्योष्णं पुनः पुनः । यां न वायुर्न वाऽऽदित्यो न चन्द्रो न पृथ्ग्जनाः
Overwhelmed by intense sorrow, he lamented, sighing hotly again and again—she whom neither wind, nor sun, nor moon, nor other people had ever seen thus.
दृष्टवन्तः पुरा पत्नीं सेयं दासीत्वमागता । सूर्यवंशप्रसूतोऽयं सुकुमारकराङ्गुलिः
She, once seen as a wife, has now come to servitude; and this boy, born of the solar dynasty, with delicate hands and fingers—
सम्प्राप्तो विक्रयं बालो धिङ्मामस्तु सुदुर्मतिम् । हा प्रिये हा शिशो वत्स ममानार्यस्य दुर्नयः
—this child has now been sold; shame on me, so wicked in mind! Alas, beloved! Alas, my child! My own ignoble conduct has brought this ruin.
दैवाधीनदशां प्राप्तो न मृतोऽस्मि तथापि धिक् । व्यास उवाच - एवं विलपितो राज्ञोऽग्रे विप्रोऽन्तरधीयत
Though I have reached a state subject to fate, still I have not died—shame on me! Vyāsa said: Thus, as he lamented before the king, the brāhmaṇa vanished.
वृक्षगेहादिभिस्तुङ्गैस्तावादाय त्वरान्वितः । अत्रान्तरे मुनिश्रेष्ठस्त्वाजगाम महातपाः
Taking them both, he hurried away, passing by tall trees and houses; meanwhile, the great sage, foremost among ascetics, arrived.
सशिष्यः कौशिकेन्द्रोऽसौ निष्ठुरः क्रूरदर्शनः । विश्वामित्र उवाच- या त्वयोक्ता पुरा राजन् राजसूयस्य दक्षिणा
That lord of the Kauśikas, harsh and fierce in appearance, came with his disciples. Viśvāmitra said: O King, the fee for the Rājasūya you promised before—
तां ददस्व महाबाहो यदि सत्यं पुरस्कृतम् । हरिश्चन्द्र उवाच - नमस्करोमि राजर्षे गृहाणेमां स्वदक्षिणाम्
—give that now, O mighty-armed one, if you hold truth as foremost. Hariścandra said: I bow to you, royal sage; please accept this, my due fee.
राजसूयस्य यागस्य या मयोक्ता पुरानघ । विश्वामित्र उवाच - कुतो लब्धमिदं द्रव्यं दक्षिणार्थे प्रदीयते
O faultless one, this is the fee for the Rājasūya sacrifice, as I declared before. Viśvāmitra said: From where did you obtain this wealth that you offer as the fee?
एतदाचक्ष्व राजेन्द्र यथा द्रव्यं त्वयार्जितम् । राजोवाच - किमनेन महाभाग कथितेन तवानघ
Tell me, O king of kings, how you acquired this wealth. The king said: O noble one, what is the use of telling you this?
शोकस्तु वर्धते विप्र श्रुतेनानेन सुव्रत । ऋषिरुवाच - अशस्तं नैव गृह्णामि शस्तमेव प्रयच्छ मे
Hearing this only increases my sorrow, O virtuous brāhmaṇa. The sage said: I do not accept what is improper; give me only what is proper.
द्रव्यस्यागमनं राजन् कथयस्व यथातथम् । राजोवाच - मया देवी तु सा भार्या विक्रीता कोटिसम्मितैः । निष्कैः पुत्रो रोहिताख्यो विक्रीतोऽर्बुदसंख्यया । विप्रैकादशकोट्यस्त्वं सुवर्णस्य गृहाण मे
Tell me truly, O king, how this wealth was obtained. The king said: That lady, my wife, was sold by me for ten million gold coins; my son, named Rohita, was sold for a crore; O brāhmaṇa, accept from me eleven crores of gold.
सूत उवाच - तद्वित्तं स्वप्लमालक्ष्य दारविक्रयसम्भवम् । शोकाभिभूतं राजानं कुपितः कौशिकोऽब्रवीत्
Sūta said: Realizing that this wealth came from selling his wife and son, and seeing the king overwhelmed by grief, the sage Kauśika spoke angrily.
ऋषिरुवाच - राजसूयस्य यज्ञस्य नैषा भवति दक्षिणा । अन्यदुत्पादय क्षिप्रं सम्पूर्णा येन सा भवेत्
The sage said: This is not a proper fee for the Rājasūya sacrifice; quickly produce something else by which it may be fulfilled.
क्षत्रबन्धो ममेमां त्वं सदृशीं यदि दक्षिणाम् । मन्यसे तर्हि तत्क्षिप्रं पश्य त्वं मे परं बलम्
If you, a kṣatriya, think this is a fitting fee for me, then quickly witness my supreme power—
तपसोऽस्य सुतप्तस्य ब्राह्मणस्यामलस्य च । मत्प्रभावस्य चोग्रस्य शुद्धस्याध्ययनस्य च
—the power of my severe austerity, of my pure brāhmaṇa nature, of my fierce might, and of my pure study.
राजोवाच - अन्यद्दास्यामि भगवन् कालः कश्चित्प्रतीक्ष्यताम् । अधुनैवास्ति विक्रीता पत्नी पुत्रश्च बालकः
The king said: I will give something else, O blessed one; please wait for some time. For now, my wife and my young son have been sold.
विश्वामित्र उवाच - चतुर्भागः स्थितो योऽयं दिवसस्य नराधिप । एष एव प्रतीक्ष्यो मे वक्तव्यं नोत्तरं त्वया
Viśvāmitra said: O king, a quarter of the day remains; that alone I will wait for. You must not speak further.
हरिश्चन्द्रोपाख्यानवर्णनम् व्यास उवाच - तमेवमुक्त्वा राजानं निर्घृणं निष्ठुरं वचः । तदादाय धनं पूर्णं कुपितः कौशिको ययौ
The story of Hariścandra's ordeal. Vyāsa said: Having spoken thus to the king, with merciless and harsh words, Kauśika, angered, took the full fee and departed.