Shloka 90

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

Sanskrit

हरिश्चन्द्र उवाच भगवन् । सूर्यवंशोत्थमात्मानं वेद्मे कौशिक । कथं चाण्डालदासत्वं गमिष्ये वित्तकामुकः ॥

Transliteration

hariścandra uvāca bhagavan | sūryavaṃśottham ātmānaṃ vedmi kauśika | kathaṃ caṇḍāla-dāsatvaṃ gamiṣye vitta-kāmukaḥ ||

Translation

Hariścandra berkata: “Wahai Yang Mulia, wahai Kauśika, aku mengetahui diriku lahir dari wangsa Surya. Bagaimana mungkin, meski menginginkan harta, aku sampai menjadi budak seorang Caṇḍāla?”

Word by Word

• हरिश्चन्द्रः: Hariścandra
• हरिश्चन्द्रः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hariścandra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verbal action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• भगवन्: O venerable one
• भगवन्: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन

• सूर्यवंशोत्थम्: sprung from the Solar line
• सूर्यवंशोत्थम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sūryavaṃśa + uttha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष/षष्ठीभाव: ‘सूर्यवंशात् उत्थः’ (sprung from the Solar dynasty)

• आत्मानम्: myself
• आत्मानम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वेद्मे: I know
• वेद्मे: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verbal action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कौशिक: O Kauśika (Viśvāmitra)
• कौशिक: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kauśika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Prakāra (प्रकार/Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्न-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• चाण्डालदासत्वम्: slavery to a Caṇḍāla
• चाण्डालदासत्वम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caṇḍāla + dāsa + tva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (determinative): ‘चाण्डालस्य दासत्वम्’ (state of being a Caṇḍāla’s slave)

• गमिष्ये: shall I go/come to (become)
• गमिष्ये: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verbal action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple future), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• वित्तकामुकः: desirous of wealth
• वित्तकामुकः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vitta + kāmuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘वित्तस्य कामुकः’ (desirous of wealth)

Speakers

• Hariścandra addressing Kauśika (sage interlocutor in the episode)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "karuna", "secondaryRasa": "dharma", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Satya (truthfulness)
• Karma and consequence
• Royal duty and downfall
• Social status and suffering
• Temptation/desire (kāma) for wealth

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse foregrounds the shock of moral reversal: even one of noble birth (Solar dynasty) can fall into extreme degradation when desire for wealth (vitta-kāma) and the pressures of fate/testing operate. It prepares the listener for a dharmic lesson common to Purāṇic narrative: lineage alone is not a safeguard; choices, vows, and karmic trials determine lived reality.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Primarily within Vaṃśa/Vaṃśānucarita (genealogy and dynastic narrative): the Solar dynasty reference (sūryavaṃśa) and the king’s life-story serve as exemplum. Secondarily it supports Dharma-śikṣā (ethical instruction) embedded in narrative, a common Purāṇic didactic mode.

What is the esoteric significance?

Symbolically, the fall from solar royalty to caṇḍāla-servitude dramatizes the stripping away of ego built on birth/status. ‘Solar lineage’ can signify inherited luminosity (self-image, prestige), while ‘servitude’ signifies the soul’s bondage when it becomes driven by craving (kāma) and attachment to possessions (vitta). The question ‘how can this happen?’ points to the hidden workings of karma and the purifying function of ordeal.