Adhyaya 8 — Harishchandra’s Trial: Truth, the Sale of Family, and Bondage to a Chandala
प्राप्ते तु सप्तमे वर्षे श्मशानेऽथ मृतो द्विजः ।
आनीतो बन्धुभिर्दृष्टस्तेन तत्राधनो गुणी ॥
prāpte tu saptame varṣe śmaśāne 'tha mṛto dvijaḥ / ānīto bandhubhir dṛṣṭas tena tatrādhano guṇī
七年目が来たとき、二度生まれし者(ブラーフマナ)が死に、親族によって火葬場へ運ばれて来た。そこで彼はその者を見た――貧しくとも徳高く、敬うべき人がその場にいた。
{ "primaryRasa": "karuna", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
The meeting of social extremes at the cremation-ground—where all bodies end—levels pride and status. The ‘poor yet virtuous’ phrasing reinforces that guṇa (character) is ethically weightier than external rank.
Carita with didactic intent; no direct Sarga/Pratisarga/Manvantara/Vamśa cataloging in this verse.
The ‘seventh year’ can function symbolically as maturation; the encounter with a dvija’s death signals a catalytic moment for remembrance and ethical reversal amid the universality of mortality.