Shloka 39

Adhyaya 8 — Harishchandra’s Trial: Truth, the Sale of Family, and Bondage to a Chandala

Sanskrit

अवाप्य चेतनां राजा विश्वामित्रमवेक्ष्य च ।

पुनर्मोहं समापेदे स च क्रोधं ययौ मुनिः ॥

Transliteration

avāpya cetanāṃ rājā viśvāmitram avekṣya ca | punar mohaṃ samāpede sa ca krodhaṃ yayau muniḥ ||

Translation

Setelah sedar kembali, raja memandang Viśvāmitra; sekali lagi baginda jatuh ke dalam kekeliruan, dan resi itu pula bangkit kemarahannya.

Word by Word

अवाप्यhaving obtained

चेतनाम्consciousness

राजाthe king

विश्वामित्रम्Viśvāmitra

अवेक्ष्यhaving looked at/seen

चand

पुनःagain

मोहम्delusion

समापेदेfell into/attained

सःhe

चand

क्रोधम्anger

ययौwent (came to)

मुनिःthe sage

Speakers

Third-person narrative (Purāṇic narrator; not a direct speech verse)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "raudra", "secondaryRasa": "karuna", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

Moha (delusion) as a cause of downfallKrodha (anger) as a reactive forceTension between kṣatriya impulse and brāhmaṇa tapasEthical causality in Purāṇic narrative

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse juxtaposes two inner movements: the king’s relapse into moha (confused grasping, mis-seeing) and the sage’s rise of krodha (wrath). Ethically, it warns that merely returning to ordinary consciousness does not end delusion; unless discernment (viveka) is established, one can fall back into the same error. It also cautions that even ascetic power, when coupled with anger, can intensify conflict rather than resolve it.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

This is best classified under Vaṃśānucarita / Carita (narratives of kings and sages, exemplary histories) rather than Sarga/Pratisarga/Manvantara/Vaṃśa proper. It functions as moral-psychological instruction embedded in story.

What is the esoteric significance?

Moha and krodha are paired as obscuring forces: moha veils right perception, while krodha propels reactive action. Esoterically, the king symbolizes the unsteady mind that repeatedly returns to fascination/attachment, and the sage symbolizes concentrated power that, when disturbed, becomes a destructive heat. The teaching implies that true mastery requires both clarity (freedom from moha) and equanimity (freedom from krodha).