Shloka 3
Adhyaya 7 — Harishchandra Tested by Vishvamitra: The Gift of the Kingdom and the Pandava Curse-Backstory
बभूवुर्न ततोन्मत्ताः धनवीर्यतपोमदैः ।
नाजायन्त स्त्रियश्चैव काश्चिदप्राप्तयौवनाः ॥
babhūvur na tathonmattā dhana-vīrya-tapo-madaiḥ | nājāyanta striyaś caiva kāścid aprāpta-yauvanāḥ ||
ثم لم يَصِرْ أحدٌ مضطربًا أو متكبّرًا بسُكر الغنى أو القوة أو سلطان الزهد والتقشّف؛ ولم تلد امرأةٌ قط قبل أن تبلغ سنّ الشباب، أي قبل اكتمال النضج.
FAQs
The verse praises a dharmic social condition where power—whether material (wealth), physical (strength), or spiritual (tapas)—does not devolve into pride, intoxication, or moral instability. It also affirms the propriety of life-stages (āśrama/age-appropriateness): childbirth is aligned with maturity, implying societal protection, self-restraint, and adherence to natural/ethical order.
This aligns most closely with ‘Manvantara’/‘Vamśānucarita’-type descriptive narrative found in Purāṇas: it is not a creation (sarga/pratisarga) statement but a characterization of an era’s conduct and social norms, often used when describing reigns, ages, or exemplary periods within genealogical/chronological narration.
On an inner reading, ‘mada’ (intoxication/pride) is a subtle obstacle that can arise from any siddhi-source—wealth, vigor, or tapas. The verse indicates that true order is the absence of such egoic disturbance. ‘Aprāpta-yauvanā’ also symbolizes actions undertaken before ripeness: results (offspring/fruit) should arise only when the inner faculties are mature—suggesting disciplined timing (kāla) and readiness in both worldly and spiritual life.