Shloka 31

Adhyaya 7 — Harishchandra Tested by Vishvamitra: The Gift of the Kingdom and the Pandava Curse-Backstory

Sanskrit

विश्वामित्र उवाच

सर्वस्वं यदि मे दत्तं राज्यमुर्वो बलं धनम् ।

प्रभुत्वं कस्य राजर्षे राज्यस्थे तापसे मयि ॥

Transliteration

viśvāmitra uvāca

sarvasvaṃ yadi me dattaṃ rājyam urvo balaṃ dhanam |

prabhutvaṃ kasya rājarṣe rājyasthe tāpase mayi ||

Translation

విశ్వామిత్రుడు అన్నాడు—రాజ్యం, హే ఉర్వా, బలం మరియు ధనం—ఇవన్నీ నాకు ఇచ్చినట్లయితే, హే రాజర్షీ, నేను తపస్విగా రాజ్యంలో స్థిరపడినప్పుడు అధికారము ఎవరిది?

Word by Word

• viśvāmitraḥ: Viśvāmitra
• viśvāmitraḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśvāmitra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verbal action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• sarvasvam: everything (all possessions)
• sarvasvam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva + sva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘सर्वं स्वम्’ (all one’s possessions)

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Condition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional particle)

• me: to me/for me
• me: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान/Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी/षष्ठी (Dat/Gen) एकवचन; एन्क्लिटिक रूप

• dattam: given
• dattam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle) ‘datta’ (given), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘sarvasvam’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• rājyam: kingdom
• rājyam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• urvo: earth/land
• urvo: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; वैदिक/छान्दस रूप ‘urvī/uru’ अर्थे ‘भूमि/पृथ्वी’ (as in urvī)

• balam: strength/army
• balam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• dhanam: wealth
• dhanam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• prabhutvam: lordship/sovereignty
• prabhutvam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhutva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• kasya: of whom?
• kasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• rājarṣe: O royal sage
• rājarṣe: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan + ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘राजा चासौ ऋषिश्च’ (royal sage)

• rājya-sthe: when (you are) in the kingdom/being king
• rājya-sthe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rājya + stha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘राज्ये स्थितः’ (situated in kingship)

• tāpase: as an ascetic
• tāpase: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/State)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tāpasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘ascetic’

• mayi: in me/with respect to me
• mayi: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

Speakers

• Viśvāmitra (direct speech)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "dharmya (didactic)", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Rajadharma
• Tapas (ascetic power)
• Authority and legitimacy
• Gift and obligation (dāna)

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse highlights a classic Purāṇic tension: material sovereignty (rājya, bala, dhana) can be transferred by gift, but moral/spiritual authority hinges on who truly upholds dharma. Viśvāmitra’s rhetorical question implies that when tapas (self-discipline and spiritual force) is present within a realm, kingship must recognize and accommodate that superior, non-material power—otherwise political authority becomes hollow.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

This verse is primarily within ākhyāna (narrative exemplum) used to teach dharma; it does not directly advance sarga/pratisarga (creation), vaṃśa (genealogies), manvantara (cosmic ages), or vaṃśānucarita (dynastic histories), though it may be embedded in a broader narrative that supports dharmic instruction.

What is the esoteric significance?

Esoterically, it encodes the idea that true “lordship” (prabhutva) is not merely external control but inner mastery. Tapas represents concentrated will and restraint; when such a force is “established in the kingdom,” it symbolizes the presence of an inner sovereign within the field of worldly life—suggesting that spiritual realization can supersede conventional hierarchies.