Shloka 8
Adhyaya 7 — Harishchandra Tested by Vishvamitra: The Gift of the Kingdom and the Pandava Curse-Backstory
साध्यमानाः क्षमामौनचित्तसंयमिनामुना ।
ता वै भयार्ताः क्रन्दन्ति कथं कार्यमिदं मया ॥
sādhyamānāḥ kṣamāmaunacittasaṃyamināmunā | tā vai bhayārtāḥ krandanti kathaṃ kāryam idaṃ mayā ||
So von diesem Weisen zurückgehalten—der Nachsicht, Schweigen und Beherrschung des Geistes übte—riefen sie, von Furcht bedrängt: „Wie soll ich diese Tat vollbringen?“
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FAQs
The verse contrasts the sage’s inner disciplines—patience (kṣamā), silence (mauna), and mental restraint (citta-saṃyama)—with the frightened agitation of those being compelled. Ethically, it highlights how unmastered fear produces paralysis and lament (“How can I do this?”), whereas dharmic steadiness is rooted in self-governance rather than external force.
This verse is best classified under Vaṃśānucarita / narrative-ethical instruction (ākhyāna with dharma-toned characterization), rather than Sarga/Pratisarga/Manvantara/Vaṃśa proper. It contributes to the Purana’s didactic narrative texture rather than cosmological or genealogical enumeration.
Symbolically, the controlled sage represents the higher faculty (buddhi/niyama) that can ‘restrain’ the restless tendencies. The fearful crying reflects the lower mind’s resistance when compelled toward an unfamiliar duty or purification. The line “kathaṃ kāryam idaṃ mayā” functions as the inner psyche’s protest at the threshold of transformation.