Markandeya Purana

; विश्वामित्र उवाच पूर्णः स मासो राजर्षे दीयतां मम दक्षिणा । राजसूयनिमित्तं हि स्मर्यते स्ववचो यदि॥८.

Visvamitra said: The month is now complete, O royal sage; give me my fee, for it was promised by you for the Rajasuya sacrifice, if you remember your word.

; हरिश्चन्द्र उवाच ब्राह्मन्नद्यैव सम्पूर्णो मासोऽम्लानतपोधन । तिष्ठत्येतद् दनार्धं यत्तत् प्रतीक्षस्व माचिरम्॥८.

Harishchandra said: O Brahmin, the month is indeed complete today, O possessor of unfading austerity; please wait a little for the remaining half of the gift.

; विश्वामित्र उवाच एवमस्तु महाराज आगमिष्याम्यहं पुनः । शापं तव प्रदास्यामि न चेदद्य प्रदास्यसि॥८.

Visvamitra said: So be it, great king; I will come again. But if you do not give it today, I will pronounce a curse upon you.

; पक्षिण ऊचुः इत्युक्त्वा प्रययौ विप्रो राजा चाचिन्तयत् तदा । कथमस्मै प्रदास्यामि दक्षिणा या प्रतिश्रुता॥८.

Having said this, the sage departed, and the king then thought, 'How shall I give the promised fee to him?'

कुतः पुष्टानि मित्राणि कुतोर्ऽथः साम्प्रतं मम । प्रतिग्रहः प्रदुष्टो मे नाहं यायामधः कथम्॥८.

Where are my prosperous friends now, and where is my wealth? Accepting gifts is forbidden to me; how could I go to ruin?

किमु प्राणान् विमुञ्चामि कां दिशं याम्यकिञ्चनः । यदि नाशं गमिष्यामि अप्रदाय प्रतिश्रुतम्॥८.

Should I abandon my life? To which direction shall I go, destitute? If I perish without giving what I promised—

ब्रह्मस्वहृत्कृमिः पापो भविष्याम्यधमाधमः । अथवा प्रेष्यतां यास्ये वरमेवात्मविक्रयः॥८.

I will become the lowest of the low, a sinner, a worm in the heart of Brahman; or else, let me be sold as a servant—better to sell myself.

; पक्षिण ऊचुः राजानं व्याकुलं दीनं चिन्तयानमधोमुखम् । प्रत्युवाच तदा पत्नी बाष्पगद्गदया गिरा॥८.

Seeing the king troubled, dejected, and bowed down in thought, his wife then addressed him with words choked by tears.

त्यज चिन्तां महारजा स्वसत्यमनुपालय । श्मशानवद् वर्जनीयो नरः सत्यबहिष्कृतः॥८.

Abandon your anxiety, great king, and uphold your truth; a man who abandons truth should be shunned like a cremation ground.

नातः परतरं धर्मं वदन्ति पुरुषस्य तु । यादृशं पुरुषव्याघ्र स्वसत्यपरिपालनम्॥८.

O tiger among men, they say there is no higher duty for a person than the preservation of his own truth.

अग्निहोत्रमधीतं वा दानाद्याश्चाखिलाः क्रियाः । भजन्ते तस्य वैफल्यं यस्य वाक्यमकारणम्॥८.

Whether one has performed the Agnihotra or all acts of charity, all these become fruitless for one whose word is unfulfilled.

सत्यमत्यन्तमुदितं धर्मशास्त्रेषु धीमताम् । तारणायानृतं तद्वत् पातनायाकृतात्मनाम्॥८.

Truth is declared supreme in the scriptures of the wise; for crossing over, untruth is like a raft, but for the unsteady, it leads to downfall.

सप्ताश्वमेधानाहृत्य राजसूयं च पार्थिवः । कृतिर्नाम च्युतः स्वर्गादसत्यवचनात् सकृत्॥८.

Having performed seven Ashvamedha sacrifices and a Rajasuya, a king falls from heaven by a single false word.

राजन् जातमपत्यं मे इत्युक्त्वा प्ररुरोद ह । बाष्पाम्बुप्लुतनेत्रान्तामुवाचेदं महीपतिः॥८.

O King, saying, 'My child is born,' she began to weep; her eyes filled with tears, and the king spoke to her these words.

; हरिश्चन्द्र उवाच विमुञ्च भद्रे सन्तापमयं तिष्ठति बालकः । उच्यतां वक्तुकामासि यद्वा त्वं गजगामिनि॥८.

Harishchandra said: 'Compose yourself, good lady, do not grieve; the child is alive. Speak, O elephant-gaited one, if you wish to say something.'

; पत्न्युवाच राजन् जातमपत्यं मे सतां पुत्रफलाः स्त्रियः । स मां प्रदाय वित्तेन देहि विप्राय दक्षिणाम्॥८.

His wife said: 'O King, my child is born; for virtuous women, sons are their reward. Therefore, give me away with wealth as a gift to the Brahmin.'

; पक्षिण ऊचुः एतद्वाक्यमुपश्रुत्य ययौ मोहं महीपतिः । प्रतिलभ्य च संज्ञां स विललापातिदुः खितः॥८.

Hearing these words, the king fell into a swoon; regaining consciousness, he lamented, overwhelmed by intense sorrow.

महद्दुः खमिदं भद्रे यत् त्वमेवं ब्रवीषि माम् । किं तव स्मितसंलापा मम पापस्य विस्मृताः॥८.

'This is a great sorrow, dear one, that you speak to me in this way. Have you forgotten the smiles and gentle words you once shared with this sinful man?'

हा हा कथं त्वया शक्यं वक्तुमेतत् शुचिस्मिते । दुर्वाच्यमेतद्वचनं कर्तुं शक्नोम्यहं कथम्॥८.

'Alas, alas! How could you, pure-smiled one, utter such words? How can I, too, bring myself to say such unspeakable things?'

इत्युक्त्वा स नरश्रेष्ठो धिग्धिगित्यसकृद् ब्रुवन् । निपपात महीपृष्ठे मूर्च्छयाभिपरिप्लुतः॥८.

Having spoken thus, that foremost of men, repeatedly crying 'Fie, fie!', fell to the ground, overcome by faintness.

शयानं भुवि तं दृष्ट्वा हरिश्चन्द्रं महीपतिम् । उवाचेदं सकरुणं राजपत्नी सुदुः खिता॥८.

Seeing Harishchandra, the king, lying on the ground, his queen, deeply distressed, spoke these words with great sorrow.

; पत्न्युवाच हा महारजा कस्येदमपध्यानमुपस्थितम् । यत् त्वं निपतितो भूमौ राङ्कवास्तरणोचितः॥८.

His wife said: 'Alas, great king, what misfortune has come upon you, that you lie fallen on the ground, who once were accustomed to royal couches?'

येन कोट्यग्रगोवित्तं विप्राणामपवर्जितम् । स एष पृथिवीनाथो भूमौ स्वपिति मे पतिः॥८.

'He who possessed wealth surpassing tens of millions of cows, untainted by Brahmins, this lord of the earth, my husband, now sleeps on the ground.'

हा कष्टं किं तवानेन कृतं देव ! महीक्षिता । यदिन्द्रोपेन्द्रतुल्योऽयं नीतः प्रस्वापनीं दशाम्॥८.

'Alas, what harm have you done, O king, that you, equal to Indra and Upendra, have been brought to this pitiable state of sleep?'

इत्युक्त्वा सापि सुश्रोणी मूर्च्छिता निपपात ह । भर्तृदुः खमहाभारेणासह्येन निपीडिता॥८.

Having spoken thus, that lovely-hipped lady also fainted and fell, crushed by the unbearable weight of her husband's sorrow.

तौ तथा पतितौ भूमावनाथौ पितरौ शिशुः । दृष्ट्वात्यन्तं क्षुधाविष्टः प्राह वाक्यं सुदुः खितः॥८.

Seeing both his parents fallen helpless on the ground, the child, tormented by hunger, spoke these words in great distress.

तात तात ! ददस्वान्नमम्बाम्ब ! भोजनं दद । क्षुन्मे बलवती जाता जिह्वाग्रं शुष्यते तथा॥८.

'Father, father! Give me food! Mother, mother! Give me something to eat! My hunger is intense, my tongue is parched.'

; पक्षिण ऊचुः एतस्मिन्नन्तरे प्राप्तो विश्वामित्रो महातपाः । दृष्ट्वा तु तं हरिश्चन्द्रं पतितं भुवि मूर्च्छितम्॥८.

At that moment, the great sage Vishvamitra arrived; seeing Harishchandra fallen on the ground in a faint—

स वारिणा समभ्युक्ष्य राजानमिदमब्रवीत् । उत्तिष्ठोतिष्ठ राजेन्द्र तां ददस्वेष्टदक्षिणाम्॥८.

He sprinkled water on the king and said: 'Rise, rise, O king of kings! Give now the desired gift.'