Shloka 31
Adhyaya 8 — Harishchandra’s Trial: Truth, the Sale of Family, and Bondage to a Chandala
येन कोट्यग्रगोवित्तं विप्राणामपवर्जितम् ।
स एष पृथिवीनाथो भूमौ स्वपिति मे पतिः ॥
yena koṭyagragovittaṃ viprāṇām apavarjitam /
sa eṣa pṛthivīnātho bhūmau svapiti me patiḥ
Baginda yang telah menganugerahkan kepada para Brahmana kekayaan berupa lembu yang tidak terhitung dan harta benda—dialah tuan bumi itu, suamiku—kini terbaring seakan tidur di atas tanah.
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FAQs
The verse contrasts past merit and royal splendor with present destitution: even a king renowned for generous dāna can be reduced to sleeping on bare ground. The ethical lesson is twofold—(1) cultivate dharma and charity without pride or expectation of permanence, and (2) recognize the instability of worldly power, which prompts seeking a higher refuge (often leading, in this text’s arc, toward the Goddess and spiritual insight).
This verse is primarily narrative-ethical instruction rather than a direct instance of sarga/pratisarga/manvantara/vaṃśa/vaṃśānucarita. It aligns most closely with vaṃśānucarita in the broad sense (royal conduct and the lived history of rulers), but here it functions as a dharmic reflection embedded in story rather than genealogy proper.
Symbolically, the ‘lord of the earth’ sleeping on the earth underscores the collapse of ego-identification with sovereignty: the ruler returns to the elemental ground (bhūmi), hinting that all status is contingent. The image prepares the mind for śaraṇāgati (seeking refuge) beyond temporal authority—an inner pivot that, in the larger Purāṇic movement, often culminates in turning toward Devī as the stable ground of power and protection.