Shloka 50
Adhyaya 8 — Harishchandra’s Trial: Truth, the Sale of Family, and Bondage to a Chandala
राजोवाच भो भो नागरिकाḥ सर्वे शृणुध्वं वचनं मम ।
किं मां पृच्छथ कस्त्वं भो नृशंसोऽहममानुषः ॥
rājovāca bho bho nāgarikāḥ sarve śṛṇudhvaṃ vacanaṃ mama / kiṃ māṃ pṛcchatha kas tvaṃ bho nṛśaṃso ’ham amānuṣaḥ
രാജാവ് പറഞ്ഞു—“ഹോ! ഹോ! നഗരവാസികളേ, എന്റെ വാക്ക് കേൾക്കുവിൻ. ‘നീ ആരാണ്?’ എന്നു നിങ്ങൾ എന്നോടെന്തിന് ചോദിക്കുന്നു? ഞാൻ ക്രൂരൻ—ഞാൻ (യഥാർത്ഥ) മനുഷ്യനല്ല.”
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FAQs
The verse dramatizes a collapse of moral self-regard: the king labels himself “nṛśaṃsa” and “amānuṣa,” implying that true humanity is measured by dharma and compassion, not merely by birth or status. It sets the emotional ground for seeking higher counsel—an admission that power without righteousness dehumanizes.
This verse belongs to the narrative/dialogue layer that supports later theological exposition. It is not directly Sarga (creation), Pratisarga, Vaṃśa (genealogy), Manvantara, or Vaṃśānucarita; rather, it functions as an upākhyāna-style framing passage that leads into the Devi-centered teaching within the Purana.
The king’s self-declaration as “not human” can be read as the soul’s recognition of bondage (pāśa) and inner tamas. Such frank self-knowledge is a threshold moment: when egoic sovereignty fails, one becomes receptive to Śakti’s restoring wisdom and order (dharma), which the Devi Mahatmyam proceeds to reveal.