Adhyaya 7 — Harishchandra Tested by Vishvamitra: The Gift of the Kingdom and the Pandava Curse-Backstory
विश्वामित्र उवाच ससागरां धरामेतां सभूभृद्ग्रामपत्तनाम् । राज्यं च सकलं वीर रथाश्वगजसङ्कुलम् ॥
viśvāmitra uvāca sasāgarāṃ dharām etāṃ sabhūbhṛdgrāma-pattanām / rājyaṃ ca sakalaṃ vīra rathāśva-gaja-saṅkulam
Wika ni Viśvāmitra: “O bayani, ipagkaloob mo sa akin ang buong daigdig na ito kasama ang mga karagatan, pati ang mga bundok, mga nayon at mga bayan, at ang buong kaharian na hitik sa mga karwahe, kabayo, at elepante.”
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The verse frames sovereignty as something that can be relinquished or transferred under dharmic pressure—highlighting the tension between worldly kingship (possession of land, cities, armies) and higher obligations (truth, vows, honoring sages). It underscores that true ‘heroism’ can include the capacity to give up even what seems non-negotiable: territory, wealth, and military power.
This passage aligns most closely with Vaṃśānucarita (accounts of dynasties/royal conduct) and Dharma-oriented narrative instruction rather than Sarga/Pratisarga. It uses an exemplary episode (itihāsa-like) to illustrate norms of kingship and gifting.
Symbolically, ‘earth with oceans, mountains, villages, towns, and the fourfold military resources’ represents the totality of embodied power and worldly identity. The sage’s demand functions as a spiritual test: whether the ruler’s ego-identification with dominion can be surrendered in favor of a higher law (ṛta/dharma).