Shloka 53
Adhyaya 7 — Harishchandra Tested by Vishvamitra: The Gift of the Kingdom and the Pandava Curse-Backstory
आनृशंस्यं परो धर्मः क्षत्रियाणां विशेषतः ।
किं दारैः किं सुतैर्नाथ धनैर्धान्यैरथापि वा ॥
ānṛśaṃsyaṃ paro dharmaḥ kṣatriyāṇāṃ viśeṣataḥ / kiṃ dāraiḥ kiṃ sutair nātha dhanair dhānyair athāpi vā
அஹிம்சை (கருணையுடனான கட்டுப்பாடு) உயர்ந்த தர்மம்—குறிப்பாக க்ஷத்திரியருக்கு. ஆண்டவனே, அந்த தர்மத்தை விட்டுவிட்டால் மனைவிகள் எதற்கு, மகன்கள் எதற்கு, செல்வமும் தானியமும் எதற்கு?
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FAQs
The verse asserts that the warrior-ruler’s true excellence is not mere valor but compassionate restraint. For a kṣatriya—who holds power over life, punishment, and protection—ānṛśaṃsya (non-cruel, humane conduct) is proclaimed the supreme duty. The rhetorical dismissal of wife, children, wealth, and grain underscores that social status and prosperity are hollow if dharma is violated; protection and governance must be rooted in mercy and justice rather than brutality.
This verse aligns most closely with "Vaṃśānucarita" in the broad sense of social-ethical norms tied to the kṣatriya role within dynastic life, and secondarily with Purāṇic "Dharma-śikṣā" (instruction on righteous conduct), which often accompanies genealogical and narrative material. It is not a direct instance of Sarga/Pratisarga/Manvantara in this standalone line.
Esoterically, the verse treats power (kṣatra) as a test of inner mastery: the true "victory" is conquest of cruelty within oneself. Wives, sons, wealth, and food symbolize the supports of embodied life; the teaching implies that without dharma these supports become binding and ultimately meaningless. Compassion is thus presented as the inner royal consecration—an ethical tapas that sanctifies worldly authority.