Shloka 20
Adhyaya 7 — Harishchandra Tested by Vishvamitra: The Gift of the Kingdom and the Pandava Curse-Backstory
हरिश्चन्द्र उवाच दातव्यं विप्रमुख्येभ्यो ये चान्ये कृशवृत्तयः । रक्ष्या भीताः सदा युद्धं कर्तव्यं परिपन्थिभिः ॥
hariścandra uvāca dātavyaṃ vipramukhyebhyo ye cānye kṛśavṛttayaḥ / rakṣyā bhītāḥ sadā yuddhaṃ kartavyaṃ paripanthibhiḥ
قال هريشچندرا: «ينبغي أن تُعطى العطايا لأفضل البراهمة، وكذلك لغيرهم ممن يعيشون بقليل من المعاش. ومن كان خائفًا وجب حمايته. ويجب دائمًا خوض القتال ضد قُطّاع الطرق والمعتدين الأعداء.»
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FAQs
The verse defines a king’s ethical triad of responsibility: (1) sustain dharma through dāna—supporting worthy Brāhmaṇas and the economically vulnerable; (2) provide refuge and safety to the fearful; and (3) use force only in a dharmic manner—directed against paripanthins (predators/obstructors) who threaten social order.
This passage aligns most closely with 'Vaṃśānucarita' in the broad Purāṇic sense, since Hariścandra is a royal exemplar and the text uses his voice to transmit normative rājadharma. It is not primarily sarga/pratisarga/manvantara in content, but an ethical-constitutional teaching embedded in royal narrative.
On a symbolic reading, 'dāna' represents the outward flow of resources that keeps the social body nourished, 'rakṣā' is the kingly function of fear-removal (abhaya), and 'yuddha against paripanthins' signifies disciplined resistance to forces that obstruct right order—both externally (banditry) and internally (lawlessness, greed).