Shloka 38
Adhyaya 8 — Harishchandra’s Trial: Truth, the Sale of Family, and Bondage to a Chandala
ऋणं धारयतो दुःखमह्न्यहनि वर्धन्ते । आप्याय्यमानः स तदा हिमशीतन वारिणा ॥
ṛṇaṃ dhārayato duḥkham ahany ahani vardhante / āpyāyyamānaḥ sa tadā himaśītena vāriṇā
ผู้ที่แบกหนี้ซึ่งยังมิได้ชำระ ย่อมมีความทุกข์เพิ่มขึ้นวันแล้ววันเล่า แม้จะยังดำรงชีพอยู่ได้ ในกาลนั้นก็ประหนึ่งถูกค้ำจุนด้วยน้ำที่เย็นจัดดุจน้ำแข็งเท่านั้น।
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FAQs
Debt is treated as a binding obligation that steadily erodes well-being: even apparent “nourishment” or survival becomes joyless, likened to drinking ice-cold water—life continues, but comfort and contentment are absent. The implied dharmic counsel is timely repayment and avoidance of burdensome obligations that generate continuing mental and social distress.
This verse is best classified under ancillary dharma-upadeśa (ethical instruction) rather than the core pañcalakṣaṇa categories (sarga, pratisarga, vaṃśa, manvantara, vaṃśānucarita). It supports the Purana’s broader role as a guide to righteous conduct.
Symbolically, “ice-cold water” suggests a life-force that is technically sustaining yet spiritually and emotionally chilling: obligations (ṛṇa) constrict freedom and warmth (ānanda). In a subtler reading, unresolved debts represent unresolved karmic knots; as they persist, duḥkha predictably intensifies until the obligation is released through right action.