Shloka 12
Adhyaya 7 — Harishchandra Tested by Vishvamitra: The Gift of the Kingdom and the Pandava Curse-Backstory
कोऽयं बघ्नाति वस्त्रान्ते पावकं पापकृन्नरः ।
बलोष्णतेजसा दीप्ते मयि पत्यावुपस्थिते ॥
ko ’yaṃ baghnāti vastrānte pāvakaṃ pāpakṛn naraḥ |
baloṣṇa-tejasā dīpte mayi patyāv upasthite ||
“Siapakah si pendosa ini yang cuba memadam api dengan hujung kain, sedangkan aku—menyala dengan sinar panas kekuatan—berdiri di sini dengan suamiku hadir?”
FAQs
The verse uses a vivid simile: trying to extinguish fire with cloth is futile and self-defeating. Ethically, it underscores that confronting divine power (tejas) through adharmic intent is both ineffective and destructive—adharma cannot “smother” dharmic, luminous power.
This belongs primarily to Vamśānucarita/Carita-style narrative (exemplary sacred history and deeds), not to Sarga/Pratisarga/Manvantara/Vamśa cataloging. Within the Purana’s fivefold markers, it is best classified as ‘Carita’ embedded in a broader puranic frame.
Fire (pāvaka) symbolizes awakened tejas—inner spiritual potency. Cloth (vastra) can signify external coverings: ego, ignorance, or superficial ritualism. The image suggests that mere external means cannot suppress awakened Shakti; when Shakti ‘stands present’ (upasthita), ignorance’s attempt to cover or extinguish consciousness is doomed.