Story
Harishchandra, the King Who Would Not Lie
- verses
- 338
- book
- 1
- chapters
- 2
What the texts say
In the Markandeya Purana, Harishchandra, the King Who Would Not Lie, is a righteous royal seer. Markandeya Purana 7.1 Vishvamitra, who calls himself an ascetic, tells the king that if the earth has been given to him, Harishchandra must depart. Markandeya Purana 7.31, 7.33 Born of the Solar dynasty, Harishchandra asks how he could become the slave of a Chandala, who steals cloth from the dead, and later waits day and night for a corpse at his instruction. Markandeya Purana 8.90, 8.104 Then his wife arrives, wailing, carrying her dead son, bitten by a snake. Markandeya Purana 8.171 The king ascends to heaven with his people. Markandeya Purana 8.262
Where the story is told
Markandeya Purana 7-8
Begins at 7.1Who is in it
Where to read
Every verse that tells the story, book by book.
- 7.1
Now begins the seventh chapter. The Dharma-birds said: “Formerly, in the Tretā age, there was a royal seer named Hariścandra—righteous in nature, a protector of the earth, whose excellent fame shone forth brightly.”
- 7.2
When that king was ruling, there was neither famine nor disease, nor did people die untimely deaths. The townsfolk, too, had no inclination toward unrighteousness.
- 7.3
Then none became deranged (or arrogant) through the intoxication of wealth, strength, or ascetic power; and no women at all gave birth before attaining youth (i.e., before reaching maturity).
- 7.1