Shloka 40
Adhyaya 8 — Harishchandra’s Trial: Truth, the Sale of Family, and Bondage to a Chandala
स समाश्वास्य राजानं वाक्यमाह द्विजोत्तमः ।
दीयतां दक्षिणा सा मे यदि धर्ममवेक्षसे ॥
sa samāśvāsya rājānaṃ vākyam āha dvijottamaḥ | dīyatāṃ dakṣiṇā sā me yadi dharmam avekṣase ||
Setelah menenangkan raja demikian, yang utama di antara para dwija berkata: “Jika engkau menghormati dharma, berikanlah dakṣiṇā itu kepadaku.”
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FAQs
The verse foregrounds a practical dharmic norm: a ruler who claims to uphold dharma must honor rightful obligations—especially the prescribed dakṣiṇā to a qualified brāhmaṇa after ritual service, counsel, or pacification. It also shows how dharma is invoked as a moral lever in royal decision-making.
This verse aligns most closely with ancillary dharma-upadeśa within the Purāṇic narrative rather than the core pañcalakṣaṇa headings. It is not sarga/pratisarga/manvantara/vaṃśa/vaṃśānucarita directly; it functions as rājadharma and social-ritual instruction embedded in the story.
On a symbolic level, “dakṣiṇā” represents the necessary ‘right-hand’ offering that completes an act—closure through proper reciprocity. The king’s ‘regard for dharma’ is tested not by sentiment but by concrete relinquishment (tyāga), implying that inner righteousness is validated through outward, rule-aligned action.