Shloka 27

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

Sanskrit

हा हा कथं त्वया शक्यं वक्तुमेतत् शुचिस्मिते ।

दुर्वाच्यमेतद्वचनं कर्तुं शक्नोम्यहं कथम् ॥

Transliteration

hā hā kathaṃ tvayā śakyaṃ vaktum etat śucismite /

durvācyam etad vacanaṃ kartuṃ śaknomy ahaṃ katham //

Translation

അയ്യോ, അയ്യോ! ഹേ ശുദ്ധസ്മിതേ, നീ ഇതു പറയാൻ എങ്ങനെ കഴിവുള്ളവളാണ്? ഇത് കഠിനവും അനുചിതവുമായ ഉക്തി—ഞാൻ അത്തരമൊരു വാക്ക് എങ്ങനെ പറയും?

Speakers

• A male speaker addressing a woman (‘śucismite’) within the Devi Mahatmyam narrative context (exact speaker identification varies by recension/edition; commonly read as a dialogic exchange amid the demon–Goddess encounter narratives)

Key Themes

• Dharma of speech (vāg-dharma)
• Propriety and restraint
• Moral hesitation toward harsh/indecent utterance
• Narrative dialogue within Devi Mahatmyam