Shloka 122

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

Sanskrit

लकुटी कालकल्पश्च धावंश्चापि ततस्ततः ।

अस्मिन् शव इदं मूल्यं प्राप्तं प्राप्स्यामि चाप्युत ॥

Transliteration

lakuṭī kāla-kalpaś ca dhāvaṃś cāpi tatas tataḥ /

asmin śava idaṃ mūlyaṃ prāptaṃ prāpsyāmi cāpy uta

Translation

Dengan gada di tangan, berwajah mengerikan laksana maut, ia berlari ke sana kemari (seraya berkata): “Untuk mayat ini, inilah harga yang kudapat—dan sungguh akan kudapatkan itu.”

Word by Word

• लकुटी: a club/staff
• लकुटी: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लकुटी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• काल-कल्पः: like Death (time)
• काल-कल्पः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक) + कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (उपमान/सादृश्य: काल इव कल्पः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (of implied person)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• धावन्: running
• धावन्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धाव् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present participle, शतृ); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि-निपात (also/even)

• ततः: from there/then
• ततः: Apadana/Kala (अपादान/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्/ततः (ablatival adverb: from there/then)

• ततः: from place to place
• ततः: Apadana/Kala (अपादान/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति (repetition for emphasis)

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• शवे: in the corpse
• शवे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• मूल्यम्: value, price
• मूल्यम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• प्राप्तम्: obtained
• प्राप्तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle, क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘obtained/available’

• प्राप्स्यामि: I will obtain
• प्राप्स्यामि: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (simple future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि-निपात

• उत: indeed/and
• उत: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उत (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्प/समुच्चयार्थक निपात (particle: and/indeed)

Speakers

• A ghoul/caṇḍāla-like figure (speech quoted); narrator framing

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "bibhatsa", "secondaryRasa": "raudra", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Primary Deities

• Kāla (Death, as a personified principle)

Key Themes

• Commodification of bodies
• Death personification
• Macabre marketplace motif

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse critiques greed and moral collapse: even death becomes ‘commerce’ for the deluded; it warns that adharma turns sacred thresholds (death rites) into exploitation.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

Ethical-narrative (ākhyāna) material used to evoke disgust and discrimination between dharma and adharma; not a pañcalakṣaṇa category passage.

What is the esoteric significance?

‘Price of the corpse’ can symbolize the ego’s bargaining with impermanence—trying to extract gain from what is intrinsically transient.