Shloka 100
Adhyaya 8 — Harishchandra’s Trial: Truth, the Sale of Family, and Bondage to a Chandala
उपात्तवित्तो विप्राय दत्त्वा वित्तमतोऽधिकम् ।
न सा मां मृगशावाक्षी वेत्ति पापतरं कृतम् ॥
upāttavitto viprāya dattvā vittam ato ’dhikam | na sā māṃ mṛgaśāvākṣī vetti pāpataraṃ kṛtam ||
Nachdem ich Reichtum erlangt hatte, gab ich einem Brāhmaṇa sogar mehr als diesen Reichtum; doch jene hirschäugige Frau kennt die noch sündhaftere Tat nicht, die ich begangen habe.
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FAQs
External merit (such as generous dāna to a brāhmaṇa) does not automatically erase or outweigh an unconfessed, graver wrongdoing. The verse contrasts public virtue with private vice, pointing to the Purāṇic insistence that dharma is fundamentally rooted in intention, truthfulness, and inner restraint—not merely in conspicuous acts of generosity.
This verse aligns most closely with Vamśānucarita / ethical instruction embedded in narrative (conduct and its consequences), rather than with Sarga (creation), Pratisarga (re-creation), Manvantara, or Vaṃśa (genealogies) directly. It functions as dharma-upadeśa (moral teaching) delivered through story/dialogue.
On a symbolic level, “giving more than one’s wealth” represents outward sacrificial expenditure (bahir-yajña), while “a more sinful deed” indicates unresolved inner impurity (antaḥ-kleśa). The doe‑eyed beloved who ‘does not know’ can be read as the ordinary mind’s self-image (persona) that remains unaware of deeper karmic stains until confronted by truth, confession, or consequences—implying that purification requires inner honesty, not only ritual or social acts.