Adhyaya 8 — Harishchandra’s Trial: Truth, the Sale of Family, and Bondage to a Chandala
इति श्रीमार्कण्डेयपुराणे द्रौपदेयोत्पत्तिर्नाम सप्तमोऽध्यायः ।
अष्टमोऽध्यायः ।
जैमिनिरुवाच ।
भवद्भिरिदमाख्यातं यथाप्रश्नमनुक्रमात् ।
महत् कौतूहलं मेऽस्ति हरिश्चन्द्रकथां प्रति ॥
iti śrīmārkaṇḍeyapurāṇe draupadeyotpattirnāma saptamo 'dhyāyaḥ |
aṣṭamo 'dhyāyaḥ |
jaiminiruvāca |
bhavadbhiridamākhyātaṃ yathāpraśnamanukramāt |
mahat kautūhalaṃ me 'sti hariścandra kathāṃ prati ||
ดังนี้ ในศรีมารกัณฑेयปุราณะอันเคารพ บทที่เจ็ดชื่อว่า “กำเนิดแห่งดรौปเทยะ” ได้สิ้นสุดลง บัดนี้เริ่มบทที่แปด ไชมินีกล่าวว่า “ท่านได้เล่าให้ข้าพเจ้าตามลำดับตรงตามคำถามแล้ว; กระนั้น ความใคร่รู้ยิ่งใหญ่เกี่ยวกับเรื่องของหริศจันทรายังมีอยู่ในใจข้าพเจ้า”
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The verse models the dhārmic method of learning: attentive listening, verifying that the teaching answers the question in proper sequence, and then extending inquiry toward a paradigmatic narrative (Hariścandra) traditionally used to examine satya (truthfulness), dāna (giving), and adherence to vow under extreme trial.
Primarily it functions as a narrative hinge within the Purāṇic ‘vaṃśānucarita/ākhyāna’ mode (accounts of exemplary lineages and persons). It is not directly sarga/pratisarga; rather it signals transition into an itihāsa-like moral history centered on a righteous king.
The ‘kautūhala’ (burning curiosity) symbolizes the inner readiness (adhikāra) for dharma-śikṣā: the listener’s mind must be stirred toward the archetype of satya. Hariścandra, as a symbol of unwavering truth, becomes a mirror for the aspirant’s commitment to integrity even when identity, status, and possessions are stripped away.