Markandeya Purana

यदि मे शक्यते वाणी वक्तुमीदृक् सुदुर्वचः । एवमुक्त्वा ततो भार्यां गत्वा नागरमातुरः । बाष्पापिहितकण्ठाक्षस्ततो वचनमब्रवीत्॥८.

'If I am able to utter such harsh words...' Having said this, the distressed king went to the city with his wife, his throat and eyes choked with tears, and spoke these words.

; राजोवाच भो भो नागरिकाः सर्वे शृणुध्वं वचनं मम । किं मां पृच्छथ कस्त्वं भो नृशंसोऽहममानुषः॥८.

The king said: 'Ho, ho! All citizens, hear my words. Why do you ask me, "Who are you?" I am cruel, inhuman.'

राक्षसो वातिकठिनस्ततः पापतरोऽपि वा । विक्रेतुं दयितां प्राप्तो यो न प्राणांस्त्यजाम्यहम्॥८.

'I am like a demon, hard-hearted, or even more sinful; for I have come to sell my beloved, yet I do not give up my own life.'

यदि वः कस्यचित् कार्यं दास्या प्राणेष्टया मम । स ब्रीवीतु त्वरायुक्तो यावत् सन्धारयाम्यहम्॥८.

'If any of you has need of a maid, dearer to me than life, let him speak quickly, while I still have the strength to endure.'

; पक्षिण ऊचुः अथ वृद्धो द्विजः कश्चिदागत्याह नराधिपम् । समर्पयस्व मे दासीमहं क्रेता धनप्रदः॥८.

Then an old brahmin approached and said to the king: 'Give her to me as a maid; I am the buyer and will pay the price.'

अस्ति मे वित्तमस्तोकं सुकुमारी च मे प्रिया । गृहकर्म न शक्नोति कर्तुमस्मात् प्रयच्छ मे॥८.

'I have a little wealth, and my beloved is delicate; she cannot perform household tasks, so give her to me.'

कर्मण्यता-वयो-रूप-शीलानां तव योषितः । अनुरूपमिदं वित्तं गृहाणार्पय मेऽबलाम्॥८.

'According to the ability, age, beauty, and character of your wife, this wealth is appropriate; accept it and give me the woman.'

एवमुक्तस्य विप्रेण हरिश्चन्द्रस्य भूपतेः । व्यदीर्यत मनो दुः खान्न चैनं किञ्चिदब्रवीत्॥८.

When the brahmin spoke thus to King Harishchandra, his mind was torn by sorrow, and he said nothing in reply.

ततः स विप्रो नृपतेर्वल्कलान्ते दृढं धनम् । बद्ध्वा केशेष्वथादाय नृपपत्नीमकर्षयत्॥८.

Then the brahmin firmly tied the money in the end of his garment, seized her by the hair, and dragged the queen away.

रुरोद रोहिताश्वोऽपि दृष्ट्वा कृष्टां तु मातरम् । हस्तेन वस्त्रमाकर्षन् काकपक्षधरः शिशुः॥८.

Rohitāśva too began to weep when he saw his mother being dragged away, the child with hair like raven's wings clutching her garment with his hand.

; राजपत्न्युवाच मुञ्चार्य मुञ्च तावन्मां यावत्पश्याम्यहं शिशुम् । दुर्लभं दर्शनं तात पुनरस्य भविष्यति॥८.

The queen said: 'Release me, priest, release me for a moment, so that I may see my child; O dear one, it will be difficult for me to see him again.'

पश्यैहि वत्स मामेवं मातरं दास्यतां गताम् । मां मा स्प्रार्क्षो राजपुत्र ! अस्पृश्याहं तवाधुना॥८.

Look at me, my child, as I am now being taken away to serve as a slave; do not touch me, prince, for I am no longer to be touched by you.

ततः स बालः सहसा दृष्ट्वा कृष्टां तु मातरम् । समभ्यधावदम्बेति रुदन् सास्त्राविलेक्षणः॥८.

Then that boy, suddenly seeing his mother being dragged away, ran after her crying 'Mother!' his eyes filled with tears.

तमागतं द्विजः क्रोधाद्वालमभ्याहनत् पदा । वदंस्तथापि सोऽम्बेति नैवामुञ्चत मातरम्॥८.

The brahmin, angered, struck the boy who had come near with his foot, but even so, the boy kept crying 'Mother!' and did not let go of her.

; राजपत्न्युवाच प्रसादं कुरु में नाथ क्रीणीष्वेमं च बालकम् । क्रीतापि नाहं भवतो विनैनं कार्यसाधिका॥८.

The queen said: 'Have mercy on me, lord; buy this child as well. Even if I am bought by you, I cannot fulfill my duties without him.'

इत्थं ममाल्पभाग्यायाः प्रसादसुमुखो भव । मां संयोजय बालेन वत्सेनेव पयस्विनीम्॥८.

Thus, be gracious to me, who am so unfortunate; unite me with my child, as a cow is joined with her calf.

; ब्राह्मण उवाच गृह्यतां वित्तमेतत् ते दीयतां बालको मम । स्त्रीपुंसोर्धर्मशास्त्रज्ञैः कृतमेव हि वेतनम् । शतं सहस्रं लक्षं च कोटिमूल्यं तथा परैः॥८.

The brahmin said: 'Take this wealth, and give me the boy. According to the scriptures on the duties of men and women, the price has been set—whether it be a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand, or even a crore.'

; पक्षिण ऊचुः तथैव तस्य तद्वित्तं बद्ध्वोत्तरपटे ततः । प्रगृह्य बालकं मात्रा सहैकस्थमबन्धयत्॥८.

The birds said: 'So the wealth was tied up in an upper garment, and taking the boy along with his mother, he bound them together as one.'

नीयमानौ तु तौ दृष्ट्वा भार्या-पुत्रौ स पार्थिवः । विललाप सुदुः खार्तो निः श्वस्योष्णं पुनः पुनः॥८.

Seeing his wife and son being led away, the king, overwhelmed with grief, lamented bitterly, sighing hotly again and again.

यां न वायुर्न चादित्यो नेन्दुर्न च पृथग्जनः । दृष्टवन्तः पुरा पत्नीं सेयं दासीत्वमागता॥८.

She whom neither wind, nor sun, nor even other men had seen before—this very wife of mine has now come to the state of a slave.

सूर्यवंशप्रसूतोऽयं सुकुमारकराङ्गुलिः । सम्प्राप्तो विक्रयं बालो धिङ्मामस्तु सुदुर्मतिम्॥८.

This boy, born in the solar dynasty, with tender hands and fingers, has now been sold—shame on me, so misguided!

हा प्रिये ! हा शिशो ! नत्स ! ममानार्यस्य दुर्नयैः । दैवाधीनां दशां प्राप्तो न मृतोऽस्मि तथापि धिक्॥८.

Alas, beloved! Alas, child! O dear one! Because of my unrighteous actions, you have come to this state, subject to fate, and yet I do not die—shame on me!

; पक्षिण ऊचुः एवं विलपतो राज्ञः स विप्रोऽन्तरधीयत । वृक्षगेहादिभिस्तुङ्गैस्तावादाय त्वरान्वितः॥८.

The birds said: 'As the king was lamenting thus, the brahmin vanished, quickly taking them away through lofty trees and houses.'

विश्वामित्रस्ततः प्राप्तो नृपं वित्तमयाचत । तस्मै समर्पयामास हरिश्चन्द्रोऽपि तद्धनम्॥८.

Then Viśvāmitra arrived and asked the king for the wealth; Hariścandra handed over that money to him.

तद्वित्तं स्तोकमालोक्य दारविक्रयसम्भवम् । शोकाभिभूतं राजानं कुपितः कौशिकोऽब्रवीत्॥८.

Seeing that small amount of wealth, gained from selling his wife and son, the sage Kauśika, angered, spoke to the grief-stricken king.

क्षत्रबन्धो ! ममेमां त्वं सदृशीं यज्ञदक्षिणाम् । मन्यसे यदि तत् क्षिप्रं पश्य त्वं मे बलं परम्॥८.

'O kṣatriya of low conduct! If you think this is a fitting sacrificial fee for me, then quickly witness my supreme power.'

तपसोऽत्र सुतप्तस्य ब्राह्मण्यस्यामलस्य च । मत्प्रभावस्य चोग्रस्य शुद्धस्याध्ययनस्य च॥८.

'Here is the power of my severe austerity, of my pure brahminhood, of my fierce might, and of my faultless study.'

अन्यां दास्यामि भगवन् ! कालः कश्चित्प्रतीक्ष्यताम् । साम्प्रतं नास्ति विक्रीता पत्नी पुत्रश्च बालकः॥८.

O venerable one, I will give you another; please wait for some time. At present, my wife has been sold and my son is but a child.

; विश्वामित्र उवाच चतुर्भागः स्थितो योऽयं दिवसस्य नराधिप । एष एव प्रतीक्ष्यो मे वक्तव्यं नोत्तरं त्वया॥८.

Viśvāmitra said: O king, this fourth part of the day remains; this alone is the time I will wait. You must not speak any further.