Shloka 5
Adhyaya 8 — Harishchandra’s Trial: Truth, the Sale of Family, and Bondage to a Chandala
जगाम पद्भ्यां दुःखार्तः सह पत्न्यानुकूलया ।
पुरीप्रवेशे ददृशे विश्वामित्रमुपस्थितम् ॥
jagāma padbhyāṃ duḥkhārtaḥ saha patnyānukūlayā | purīpraveśe dadṛśe viśvāmitram upasthitam ||
శోకపీడితుడై అతడు పతివ్రతయైన భార్యతో కలిసి కాలినడకన సాగెను. నగరద్వారమున అక్కడ నిలిచియున్న విశ్వామిత్రుని చూచెను.
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FAQs
The verse highlights a dharmic motif: when worldly supports fail and grief arises, one turns toward guidance (often embodied by a sage). The detail of traveling on foot underscores humility and the stripping away of royal privilege, preparing the mind for instruction.
This is primarily Ākhyāna (narrative episode) used as a frame to introduce later theological teaching (not directly Sarga/Pratisarga/Manvantara/Vaṃśa/Vaṃśānucarita in this single verse). It functions as a connective narrative that supports the Purana’s didactic aims.
The ‘going on foot’ can be read symbolically as the ego’s descent from sovereignty to receptivity; the city-gate marks a threshold moment. Encountering a ṛṣi at the liminal boundary suggests that true entry (into safety, meaning, or higher knowledge) occurs through contact with tapas and insight rather than political power.