Adhyaya 8 — Harishchandra’s Trial: Truth, the Sale of Family, and Bondage to a Chandala
एवं द्वादशमासास्तु नीताः शतसमोपमाः ।
स कदाचिन्नृपश्रेष्ठः श्रान्तो बन्धुवियोगवान् ॥
evaṃ dvādaśa-māsās tu nītāḥ śata-samopamāḥ / sa kadācin nṛpa-śreṣṭhaḥ śrānto bandhu-viyogavān
Demikianlah dua belas bulan berlalu, seakan-akan seratus tahun. Kemudian pada suatu ketika, raja yang terbaik itu—letih lesu dan terpisah daripada kaum kerabatnya—sampai ke titik yang genting.
{ "primaryRasa": "karuna", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
Suffering dilates time; a single year can feel like an age. The verse underscores how loss of social support (bandhu) intensifies karmic pain.
Carita: a moralized life-episode; not directly Manvantara/Vamśa data here.
‘Twelve months’ can also echo cyclical bondage—revolving through the year like saṃsāra—until a decisive insight or turning occurs.