Markandeya Purana

एवं दृष्ट्वा हि मे बालं मातुरुत्सङ्गशायिनम् । स्मृतिमभ्यागतो बालो रोहिताश्वोऽब्जलोचनः॥८.

Seeing the child lying in his mother's lap, I remembered my own son, Rohitashva, with lotus-like eyes.

सोऽप्येतामेव मे वत्सो वयोऽवस्थामुपागतः । नीतो यदि न घोरेण कृतान्तेनात्मनो वशम्॥८.

He too, my child, has reached this same age and condition, unless he has not been taken by the dreadful Death, subject to his own fate.

; राजपत्न्युवाच हा वत्स ! कस्य पापस्य अपध्यानादिदं महत् । दुः खमापतितं घोरं यस्यान्तो नोपलभ्यते॥८.

The queen spoke: Alas, child! By whose sinful thoughts has this great and terrible sorrow fallen, whose end cannot be found?

हा नाथ ! राजन् ! भवता मामनाश्वास्य दुः खिताम् । क्वापि सन्तिष्ठता स्थाने विश्रब्धं स्थीयते कथम्॥८.

Alas, lord! O king! Console me, who am distressed; how can one remain confidently anywhere in such a state?

राज्यनाशः सुहृत्त्यागो भार्यातनयविक्रयः । हरिश्चन्द्रस्य राजर्षेः किं विधे ! न कृतं त्वया॥८.

Loss of kingdom, abandonment of friends, sale of wife and son—O fate, what has not been done to Harishchandra, the royal sage, by you?

इति तस्या वचः श्रुत्वा राजा स्वस्थानतश्च्युतः । प्रत्यभिज्ञाय दयितां पुत्रञ्च निधनं गतम्॥८.

Hearing her words, the king fell from his place, recognizing his beloved and his son who had met their end.

कष्टं शैव्येयमेषा हि स बालोऽयमितीरयन् । रुरोद दुः खसन्तप्तो मूर्च्छामभिजगाम च॥८.

He lamented, 'Alas, this is Shaivya, and this is my boy,' and, tormented by grief, he wept bitterly and then fainted.

सा च तं प्रत्यभिज्ञाय तामवस्थामुपागतम् । मूर्च्छिता निपपातार्ता निश्चेष्टा धरणीतले॥८.

She too, recognizing him in that condition, collapsed in distress, unconscious, motionless upon the ground.

चेतः सम्प्राप्य राजेन्द्रो राजपत्नी च तै समम् । विलेपतुः सुसन्तप्तौ शोकभारावपीडितौ॥८.

Regaining consciousness, the king and the queen together, overwhelmed by the weight of sorrow, wept in deep anguish.

; राजोवाच हा वत्स ! सुकुमारं ते स्वक्षिभ्रूनासिकालकम् । पश्यतो मे मुखं दीनं हृदयं किं न दीर्यते॥८.

The king said: 'Alas, my son! Your tender face, with its beautiful eyes, brows, nose, and dark hair—why does my heart not break as I gaze upon your stricken countenance?'

तात ! तातेति मधुरं ब्रुवाणं स्वयमागतम् । उपगुह्य वदिष्ये कं वत्स ! वत्सेति सौहृदात्॥८.

'My child! My child!'—when you would sweetly call out and come to me, whom shall I now embrace and affectionately call, 'My son! My son!'?

कस्य जानुप्रणीतेन पिङ्गेन क्षितिरेणुना । ममोत्तरीयमुत्सङ्गं तथाङ्गं मलमेष्यति॥८.

Whose knees, dusted with the earth's yellow soil, will now soil my upper garment and limbs as you once did?

अङ्गप्रत्यङ्गसम्भूतो मनोहृदयनन्दनः । मया कुपित्रा हा वत्स ! विक्रीतो येन वस्तुवत्॥८.

Born from my own body, delight of my heart and mind—alas, my son!—in anger I sold you as if you were a mere object.

हृत्वा राज्यमशेषं मे ससाधनधनं महत् । दैवाहिना नृशंसेन दष्टो मे तनयस्ततः॥८.

Having lost my entire kingdom, with all its great wealth and resources, my son has now been struck down by the cruel serpent of fate.

अहं दैवाहिदष्टस्य पुत्रस्याननपङ्कजम् । निरीक्षन्नपि घोरेण विषेणान्धीकृतोऽधुना॥८.

Now, as I look upon the lotus-face of my son, bitten by the serpent of fate, I am blinded by its dreadful poison.

एकमुक्त्तवा तमादाय बालकं बाष्पगद्गदः । परिष्वज्य च निश्चेष्टो मूर्च्छया निपपात ह॥८.

Taking up the boy, his only pearl, the king, his voice choked with tears, embraced him and, overcome by faintness, fell motionless.

; राजपत्न्युवाच अयं स पुरुषव्याघ्रः स्वरेणैवोपलक्ष्यते । विद्वज्जनमनश्चन्द्रो हरिश्चन्द्रो न संशयः॥८.

The queen said: 'This is indeed that tiger among men—by his very voice he is recognized. He is Harishchandra, the moon among the wise—there is no doubt.'

तथास्य नासिका तुङ्गा अग्रतोऽधोमुखं गता । दन्ताश्च मुकुलप्रख्याः ख्यातकीर्तेर्महात्मनः॥८.

His nose is high and prominent, his teeth like buds—such are the marks of that great-souled one, famed for his renown.

श्मशानमागतः कस्मादद्यैष स नरेश्वरः । अपहाय पुत्रशोकं सापश्यत् पतितं पतिम्॥८.

Why has this lord of men come to the cremation ground today? Setting aside her grief for her son, she saw her husband fallen.

प्रकृष्टा विस्मिता दीना भर्तृपुत्राधिपीडिता । वीक्षन्ती सा ततोऽपश्यद् भर्तृदण्डं जुगुप्सितम्॥८.

Overwhelmed, astonished, and afflicted by her husband and son's suffering, she then saw her husband's staff, which filled her with revulsion.

श्वपाकार्हमतो मोहं जगामायतलोचना । प्राप्य चेतश्च शनकैः सगद्गदमभाषत॥८.

Her wide eyes clouded by confusion, fit for an outcaste's fate, she slowly regained her senses and spoke in a choked voice.

धिक् त्वां दैवातिकरुणां निर्मर्यादं जुगुप्सितम् । येनायममरप्रख्यो नीतो राजा श्वपाकताम्॥८.

Shame on you, O merciless, lawless, and contemptible fate! By you, this king, equal to the immortals, has been reduced to the state of an outcaste.

राज्यनाशं सुहृत्त्यागं भार्या-तनयविक्रयम् । प्रापयित्वापि नो कुक्तश्चण्डालोऽयं कृतो नृपः॥८.

After causing us to lose the kingdom, abandon friends, and sell wife and son, you have made this king into a despised outcaste.

हा राजन् ! जातसन्तापामित्थं मां धरणीतलात् । उत्थाप्य नाद्य पर्यङ्कमारोहेति किमुच्यते॥८.

Alas, O King! Afflicted as I am, why does no one today lift me up from the ground and seat me upon the couch, as before?

नाद्य पश्यामि ते छत्रं भृङ्गारमथवा पुनः । चामरं व्यजनञ्चापि कोऽयं विधिविपर्ययः॥८.

Today I do not see your royal umbrella, nor the fly-whisk, nor even the yak-tail fan; what is this reversal of fate?

यस्याग्रे व्रजतः पूर्वं राजानो भृत्यतां गताः । स्वोत्तरीयैरकुर्वन्त नीरजस्कं महीतलम्॥८.

Before you, as you walked, even other kings became your attendants, and with their upper garments they swept the dust from the earth.

सोऽयं कपालसंलग्न-घटीघटनिरन्तरे । मृतनिर्माल्यसूत्रान्तर्गूग्केशे सुदारुणे॥८.

Now, with a skull fastened to his neck, with a string of broken pots, with hair matted with the remains of the dead, he is truly dreadful.

वसानिस्यन्दसंशुष्क-महीपुटकमण्डिते । भस्माङ्गारार्धदग्धास्थि-मज्जासङ्घट्टभीषणे॥८.

Adorned with a patch of earth dried by oozing fat, and terrifying with half-burnt bones, ashes, and marrow clinging together.

गृध्र-गोमायुनादार्तनष्टक्षुद्रविहङ्गमे । चिताधूमाततिरुचा नीलीकृतदिगन्तरे॥८.

Tormented by the cries of vultures and jackals, with small birds gone, and the horizon darkened by the smoke of the funeral pyre.