Shloka 36
Adhyaya 7 — Harishchandra Tested by Vishvamitra: The Gift of the Kingdom and the Pandava Curse-Backstory
व्रजतः स ततो रुद्ध्वा पन्थानं प्राह तं नृपम् ।
क्व यास्यसीत्यदत्त्वा मे दक्षिणां राजसूयिकीम् ॥
vrajataḥ sa tato ruddhvā panthānaṃ prāha taṃ nṛpam | kva yāsyasīty adattvā me dakṣiṇāṃ rājasūyikīm ||
Dann, als der König aufbrechen wollte, versperrte ihm der Brāhmaṇa/Asket den Weg und sprach zu ihm: „Wohin gehst du, ohne mir die dakṣiṇā, das dem Rājasūya geschuldete Opferhonorar, zu geben?“
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FAQs
The verse stresses that ritual and social obligations are not merely formalities: a ruler’s legitimacy and moral standing depend on honoring promised or customary dues (dakṣiṇā) to officiants/ascetics. It implies that power and movement (the king ‘going on his way’) can be ethically ‘stopped’ when dharma—especially fair recompense and respect for sacred labor—is neglected.
This verse is best classified under secondary ethical-narrative material rather than the core pañcalakṣaṇa topics. It aligns most closely with dharma-oriented instruction embedded in itihāsa-style narration, not directly with Sarga (creation), Pratisarga, Vaṃśa, Manvantara, or Vaṃśānucarita.
Symbolically, ‘blocking the path’ can represent karmic and moral causality: unresolved obligations obstruct progress. The Rājasūya dakṣiṇā signifies the exchange that sustains cosmic-social order—sacrifice without rightful giving is incomplete, and incompleteness manifests as impediment.