Devibhagavatapurana 7.21: ekaviṃśo'dhyāyaḥ | hariścandropākhyānavarṇanam

7.21.1

etasminnantare prāpto viśvāmitro mahātapāḥ |
antakena samaḥ kruddho dhanaṃ svaṃ yācituṃ hṛdā ||

7.21.2

tamālokya hariścandraḥ papāta bhuvi mūrcchitaḥ |
sa vāriṇā tamabhyukṣya rājānamidamabravīt ||

7.21.3

uttiṣṭhottiṣṭha rājendra svāṃ dadasveṣṭadakṣiṇām |
ṛṇaṃ dhārayatāṃ duḥkhamahanyahani vardhate ||

7.21.4

āpyāyamānaḥ sa tadā himaśītena vāriṇā |
avāpya cetanāṃ rājā viśvāmitramavekṣya ca ||

7.21.5

punarmohaṃ samāpede hyatha krodhaṃ yayau muniḥ samāśvāsya ca rājānaṃ vākyamāha dvijottamaḥ ||

7.21.6

viśvāmitra uvāca -
dīyatāṃ dakṣiṇā sā me yadi dhairyamavekṣase |
satyenārkaḥ pratapati satye tiṣṭhati medinī ||

O King! If you want to maintain your steadiness, give, then my Daksinâ. Look! It is Truth that makes the Sun shine; It is the Truth that has stationed this Earth in its position; what to speak more, even the Svarga is established on Truth; so the greatest Dharma lies in Truth. If the fruit of the thousand As’vamedhas be held in one pan and Truth be held on the other pan of the balance, then Truth outweighs the thousand horse sacrifices or what need I to speak all about this! O King! If you fail to give my Daksinâ before the Sunset, I will, no doubt, curse you. Saying this, Vis’vâmitra went away. The King also became very terrified. The wealthless King was pained by the words of the Muni; but he was more troubled with the thought how he would pay him and keep to Truth.

7.21.7

satye proktaḥ paro dharmaḥ svargaḥ satye pratiṣṭhitaḥ |
aśvamedhasahasraṃ tu satyaṃ ca tulayā dhṛtam ||

7.21.8

aśvamedhasahasrāddhi satyamekaṃ viśiṣyate |
athavā kiṃ mamaitena proktenāsti prayojanam ||

7.21.9

madīyāṃ dakṣiṇāṃ rājanna dāsyati bhavānyadi |
astācalagate hyarke śapsyāmi tvāmato dhruvam ||

7.21.10

ityuktvā sa yayau vipro rājā cāsīdbhayāturaḥ |
duḥkhībhūto'vanau niḥsvo nṛśaṃsamuninārditaḥ ||

7.21.11

sūta uvāca -
etasminnantare tatra brāhmaṇo vedapāragaḥ |
brāhmaṇairbahubhiḥ sārdhaṃ niryayau svagṛhād bahiḥ ||

Sûta said:-- O Risis! At this time, a Brâhmin, skilled in the Vedas, with many other Brâhmins, started out of his house, at that very place. The queen, then seeing the Brâhmin ascetic close by, addressed the King in words reasonable and in accordance with the Dharma, O Lord! A Brâhmin is considered the father of the other three Varnas (i.e., Ksattriyas, Vais’yas, and S’ûdras) and a son can certainly take the father’s things; so it is my intention that you beg your wealth from this Brâhmin.

7.21.12

tato rājñī tu taṃ dṛṣṭvā āyāntaṃ tāpasaṃ sthitam |
uvāca vākyaṃ rājānaṃ dharmārthasahitaṃ tadā ||

7.21.13

trayāṇāmapi varṇānāṃ pitā brāhmaṇa ucyate |
pitṛdravyaṃ hi putreṇa grahītavyaṃ na saṃśayaḥ ||

7.21.14

tasmādayaṃ prārthanīyo dhanārthamiti me matiḥ |
rājovāca - nāhaṃ pratigrahaṃ kāṅkṣe kṣatriyo'haṃ sumadhyame ||

The King said:-- “O One of thin waist! To beg suits the Brâhmanas; it is prohibited to the Ksattriyas; I being a Ksattriya do not wish to take anything as gift. The Brâhmins are the Gurus of all the Varnas. So they are always to be respected. It is not proper to beg from a Brâhmin; especially the Ksattriyas never ask anything from the Brâhmins; it is totally prohibited. Offering oblations, study, gift and the governing of subjects and protecting those that take refuge is the Dharma of the Ksattriyas but they would never, never, ask any other man ‘Give, give,’ and utter these words indicative of humility O Devî! The words ‘I am giving you’ are impressed within my heart; so I will earn money from some other source and give that to the Muni.”

7.21.15

yācanaṃ khalu viprāṇāṃ kṣatriyāṇāṃ na vidyate |
gururhi vipro varṇānāṃ pūjanīyo'sti sarvadā ||

7.21.16

tasmād gururna yācyaḥ syātkṣatriyāṇāṃ viśeṣataḥ |
yajanādhyayanaṃ dānaṃ kṣatriyasya vidhīyate ||

7.21.17

śaraṇāgatānāmabhayaṃ prajānāṃ pratipālanam |
na cāpyevaṃ tu vaktavyaṃ dehīti kṛpaṇaṃ vacaḥ ||

7.21.18

dadāmītyeva me devi hṛdaye nihitaṃ vacaḥ |
arjitaṃ kutracid dravyaṃ brāhmaṇāya dadāmyaham ||

7.21.19

patnyuvāca -
kālaḥ samaviṣamakaraḥ paribhavasammānamānadaḥ kālaḥ |
kālaḥ karoti puruṣaṃ dātāraṃ yācitāraṃ ca ||

The Queen said:-- “O King! Time keeps some men in one and the same state; again it throws others into troubles; Time it is that gives respect to one and again it is Time that gives disrespect to others. Time it is that makes one a donor and it is the same Time that makes another a beggar. So even the Risi Vis’vâmitra, learned and endowed with the strength of Tapas, becoming angry has deprived you of your kingdom and happiness and has thus done quite an irreligious act in the shape of tormenting others. You can now judge in this the wonderful workings of Time.”

7.21.20

vipreṇa viduṣā rājā kruddhenātibalīyasā |
rājyānnirastaḥ saukhyācca paśya kālasya ceṣṭitam ||

7.21.21

rājovāca - asinā tīkṣṇadhāreṇa varaṃ jihvā dvidhā kṛtā |
na tu mānaṃ parityajya dehi dehīti bhāṣitam ||

The King said:-- “I would rather out off my tongue into two pieces by a sharp sword than I would quit my Ksattriya pride; and I would never be able to utter the words ‘Give, give.’ O Fortunate One! I am a Ksattriya; so I never ask anything of anyone. I always say that, by the strength of my arms, I will earn money and pay off my debt.”

7.21.22

kṣatriyo'haṃ mahābhāge na yāce kiñcidapyaham |
dadāmi vāhaṃ nityaṃ hi bhujavīryārjitaṃ dhanam ||

7.21.23

patnyuvāca -
yadi te hi mahārāja yācituṃ na kṣamaṃ manaḥ |
ahaṃ tu nyāyato dattā devairapi savāsavaiḥ ||

The Queen said:-- “O King! Indra and the other Devas have given me over duly to your hands. So I am your religious (legal) wife; especially I have got education and I ought to be protected. Therefore O Luminous One! If you do not like to beg then you can sell me and pay off your Daksinâ.” The King Haris’chandra became grieved very much to hear these words and lamented, saying, “O What a painful thing is this! What a painful thing is this!” His wife again spoke:-- “O King! Will we, afterwards, be burnt by the fire of curse from a Brâhmin and thus lowered very much? So keep my word now. You are selling me, not because that you are infatuated with desire for gambling nor you are deprived of all knowledge by enjoyments in worldly things nor you are selling me owing to avert the danger of your kingdom. It is that you are selling me to pay off the debt to your Guru. So nothing sinful a fault will be incurred by you. So sell me and keep to Truth and the fruits thereof.”
Here ends the Twenty-First Chapter of the Seventh Book on the description of the sorrows of Haris’chandra in the Mahâ Purânam, S'rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.

7.21.24

ahaṃ śāsyā ca patyā ca rakṣyā caiva mahādyute |
manmaulyaṃ saṅgṛhītvātha gurvarthaṃ sampradīyatām ||

7.21.25

etadvākyamupaśrutya hariścandro mahīpatiḥ |
kaṣṭaṃ kaṣṭamiti procya vilalāpātiduḥkhitaḥ ||

7.21.26

bhāryā ca bhūyaḥ prāhedaṃ kriyatāṃ vacanaṃ mama |
vipraśāpāgnidagdhatvānnīcatvamupayāsyasi ||

7.21.27

na dyutahetorna ca madyaheto-rna rājyahetorna ca bhogahetoḥ |
dadasva gurvarthamato mayā tvaṃ satyavratatvaṃ saphalaṃ kuruṣva ||

7.21.27.c1

iti śrīmaddevībhāgavate mahāpurāṇe'ṣṭādaśasāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ saptamaskandhe hariścandropākhyānavarṇanaṃ nāma ekaviṃśo'dhyāyaḥ ||