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
Hariścandra sprach: „Gaben sollen den vorzüglichsten Brāhmaṇas gegeben werden und auch anderen, die mit geringen Mitteln leben. Die Furchtsamen sind zu schützen. Und stets ist der Kampf gegen Wegelagerer und feindliche Angreifer aufzunehmen.“
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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).