Shloka 32

Adhyaya 8 — Harishchandra’s Trial: Truth, the Sale of Family, and Bondage to a Chandala

Sanskrit

हा कष्टं किं तवानॆन कृतं देव! महीक्षिताः |

यदिन्द्रोपेन्द्रतुल्योऽयं नीतः प्रस्वापनीं दशाम् ||

Transliteration

hā kaṣṭaṁ kiṁ tavānena kṛtaṁ deva! mahīkṣitāḥ /

yad indropendratulyo ’yaṁ nītaḥ prasvāpanīṁ daśām ||

Translation

«¡Ay, qué dura aflicción! Oh Señor, ¿qué te han hecho estos gobernantes de la tierra, para que tú—igual a Indra y a Upendra—hayas sido llevado a este estado de sueño profundo?»

Speakers

• Devas (gods) addressing Viṣṇu (Nārāyaṇa) who lies in yoganidrā; narrative voice within Devi Mahatmyam

Primary Deities

• Viṣṇu (Nārāyaṇa/Upendra)
• Indra
• Mahāmāyā (Yoganidrā)

Key Themes

• Shaktism
• Divine delusion (Māyā)
• Invocation and praise as salvific means
• Cosmic order threatened when the preserver sleeps