Shloka 96
Adhyaya 8 — Harishchandra’s Trial: Truth, the Sale of Family, and Bondage to a Chandala
पक्षिण ऊचुः एकमुक्ते तदा तेन श्वपाको हृष्टमानसः ।
विश्वामित्राय तद्द्रव्यं दत्त्वा बद्ध्वा नरेश्वरम् ॥
pakṣiṇa ūcuḥ ekamukte tadā tena śvapāko hṛṣṭamānasaḥ / viśvāmitrāya taddravyaṃ dattvā baddhvā nareśvaram
Die Vögel sprachen: Als jenes eine Wort—jenes Gebot—von ihm ausgesprochen wurde, freute sich der Ausgestoßene (śvapāka) im Herzen, übergab jenen Reichtum Viśvāmitra und fesselte den König.
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FAQs
The verse underscores that moral action (here, enforcing a binding/arrest and transferring goods to a sage) can be carried out even by socially despised figures; dharma is tied to conduct and consequence rather than mere status. It also hints at the vulnerability of kingship to ethical scrutiny—misrule or wrongdoing can lead to restraint and loss of wealth.
This is best classified under Vaṃśānucarita/Carita (narrative of persons and exemplary episodes) rather than Sarga/Pratisarga/Manvantara/Vaṃśa. It functions as an instructive anecdote embedded in the Purāṇic frame to teach dharma through story.
Symbolically, the ‘binding of the king’ can represent the restraint of unchecked sovereignty/ego (rājabhāva/ahaṅkāra) by dharma, while the transfer of wealth to Viśvāmitra signifies redirecting power/resources toward tapas and right order. The śvapāka’s ‘gladdened mind’ suggests inner assent to dharma as the real purifier, independent of outer labels.