Shloka 9
Adhyaya 8 — Harishchandra’s Trial: Truth, the Sale of Family, and Bondage to a Chandala
विश्वामित्र उवाच ।
पूर्णः स मासो राजर्षे दीयतां मम दक्षिणा ।
राजसूयनिमित्तं हि स्मर्यते स्ववचो यदि ॥
viśvāmitra uvāca pūrṇaḥ sa māso rājarṣe dīyatāṃ mama dakṣiṇā / rājasūya-nimittaṃ hi smaryate svavaco yadi //
Viśvāmitra dit : «Ô sage royal, ce mois est désormais accompli ; que l’on me remette ma rétribution sacerdotale (dakṣiṇā). Car il est tenu en mémoire qu’en raison du Rājasūya un don est dû — si, vraiment, tu gardes à l’esprit ta propre parole.»
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FAQs
The verse foregrounds satya and accountability: a ruler’s word is binding, especially in ritual contexts where social and cosmic order (ṛta/dharma) is upheld through properly completed sacrifices and duly paid dakṣiṇā.
This is best classified under Vaṃśānucarita / narrative of exemplary conduct (ethical-ritual episode involving a rājarṣi and a ṛṣi). It is not primarily sarga/pratisarga/manvantara, but a dharma-illustrative story embedded in the Purāṇic discourse.
Dakṣiṇā symbolizes the ‘completion’ (pūrṇatā) of a rite: without rightful restitution, the sacrifice is ritually and morally incomplete. Remembering one’s own word (svavacaḥ-smaraṇa) hints at inner integrity—alignment of speech, mind, and action—as a subtle yajña performed within the self.