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.
विश्वामित्रे गते राजा ततः शोकमुपागतः । श्वासोच्छ्वासं मुहुः कृत्वा प्रोवाचोच्चैरधोमुखः
After Viśvāmitra departed, the king was overcome with sorrow; repeatedly sighing deeply, he spoke aloud, his face cast downward.
वित्तक्रीतेन यस्यार्तिर्मया प्रेतेन गच्छति । स ब्रवीतु त्वरायुक्तो यामे तिष्ठति भास्करः
Let the one whose distress is relieved by wealth purchased from me, speak quickly while the sun remains in its course.
अथाजगाम त्वरितो धर्मश्चाण्डालरूपधृक् । दुर्गन्धो विकृतोरस्कः श्मश्रुलो दन्तुरोऽघृणी
Then, hastening, Dharma arrived, assuming the form of a cāṇḍāla: foul-smelling, deformed in chest, bearded, with protruding teeth, and devoid of compassion.
कृष्णो लम्बोदरः स्निग्धः करालः पुरुषाधमः । हस्तजर्जरयष्टिश्च शवमाल्यैरलङ्कृतः
Dark-skinned, pot-bellied, oily, fierce, the lowest of men; holding a battered staff in his hand, adorned with garlands of corpses.
चाण्डाल उवाच - अहं गृह्णामि दासत्वे भृत्यार्थः सुमहान्मम । क्षिप्रमाचक्ष्व मौल्यं किमेतत्ते सम्प्रदीयते
The cāṇḍāla said: I accept servitude; my need for a servant is very great. Quickly declare the price—what will you give for this?
व्यास उवाच - तं तादृशमथालक्ष्य क्रूरदृष्टिं सुनिर्घृणम् । वदन्तमतिदुःशीलं कस्त्वमित्याह पार्थिवः
Vyāsa said: Observing him thus—cruel in appearance, utterly pitiless, speaking with extreme rudeness—the king asked, 'Who are you?'
चाण्डाल उवाच - चाण्डालोऽहमिह ख्यातः प्रवीरेति नृपोत्तम । शासने सर्वदा तिष्ठ मृतचैलापहारकः
The cāṇḍāla said: I am known here as a cāṇḍāla, O best of kings, called Pravīra; I always remain under orders, taking the garments from the dead.
एवमुक्तस्तदा राजा वचनं चेदमब्रवीत् । ब्राह्मणः क्षत्रियो वापि गृह्णात्विति मतिर्मम
Thus addressed, the king then spoke these words: Whether a brāhmaṇa or a kṣatriya, let him accept; this is my resolve.
उत्तमस्योत्तमो धर्मो मध्यमस्य च मध्यमः । अधमस्याधमश्चैव इति प्राहुर्मनीषिणः
The highest dharma is for the highest, the middling for the middling, and the lowest for the lowest—so say the wise.
चाण्डाल उवाच एवमेव त्वया धर्मः कथितो नृपसत्तम । अविचार्य त्वया राजन्नधुनोक्तं ममाग्रतः
The cāṇḍāla said: Thus indeed you have spoken of dharma, O foremost of kings; yet you have declared it before me without reflection.