Shloka 1
Adhyaya 8 — Harishchandra’s Trial: Truth, the Sale of Family, and Bondage to a Chandala
इति श्रीमार्कण्डेयपुराणे द्रौपदेयोत्पत्तिर्नाम सप्तमोऽध्यायः ।
अष्टमोऽध्यायः ।
जैमिनिरुवाच ।
भवद्भिरिदमाख्यातं यथाप्रश्नमनुक्रमात् ।
महत् कौतूहलं मेऽस्ति हरिश्चन्द्रकथां प्रति ॥
iti śrīmārkaṇḍeyapurāṇe draupadeyotpattirnāma saptamo 'dhyāyaḥ |
aṣṭamo 'dhyāyaḥ |
jaiminiruvāca |
bhavadbhiridamākhyātaṃ yathāpraśnamanukramāt |
mahat kautūhalaṃ me 'sti hariścandra kathāṃ prati ||
Demikianlah, dalam Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa yang mulia, berakhirlah bab ketujuh yang bernama “Kelahiran Draupadeya.” Kini bermulalah bab kelapan. Jaimini berkata: “Tuan telah menceritakannya kepadaku menurut tertib, tepat sebagaimana soalan-soalanku. Namun, masih tinggal dalam diriku suatu keingintahuan besar tentang kisah Hariścandra.”
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FAQs
The verse models the dhārmic method of learning: attentive listening, verifying that the teaching answers the question in proper sequence, and then extending inquiry toward a paradigmatic narrative (Hariścandra) traditionally used to examine satya (truthfulness), dāna (giving), and adherence to vow under extreme trial.
Primarily it functions as a narrative hinge within the Purāṇic ‘vaṃśānucarita/ākhyāna’ mode (accounts of exemplary lineages and persons). It is not directly sarga/pratisarga; rather it signals transition into an itihāsa-like moral history centered on a righteous king.
The ‘kautūhala’ (burning curiosity) symbolizes the inner readiness (adhikāra) for dharma-śikṣā: the listener’s mind must be stirred toward the archetype of satya. Hariścandra, as a symbol of unwavering truth, becomes a mirror for the aspirant’s commitment to integrity even when identity, status, and possessions are stripped away.