Shloka 51
Adhyaya 7 — Harishchandra Tested by Vishvamitra: The Gift of the Kingdom and the Pandava Curse-Backstory
स एष पद्भ्यां राजेन्द्रो हरिश्चन्द्रो ’द्य गच्छति ।
हा राजन् सुकुमारं ते सुभ्रु सुत्वचमुन्नसम् ॥
sa eṣa padbhyāṃ rājendro hariścandro 'dya gacchati |
hā rājan sukumāraṃ te subhru sutvacam unnasaṃ ||
دیکھو—آج بادشاہوں کا سردار، راجا ہریش چندر، پیدل جا رہا ہے۔ ہائے، اے راجن! تم اپنی اس نازک اندام کو کیسے چھوڑتے ہو—سفید بھنوؤں والی، خوبصورت جلد والی، اور اونچی ناک والی؟
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FAQs
The verse heightens the contrast between royal status and present humiliation: a ‘lord of kings’ walking on foot. In Purāṇic ethics, such reversals dramatize the testing of satya (truth) and dharma—showing that inner virtue, not external rank, is the true measure of nobility, and that compassion naturally arises when dharma is strained by suffering.
This is best classified under Vaṃśānucarita (accounts of dynasties and royal lineages/episodes), a common Purāṇic mode used to teach dharma through exemplary kings. It is not primarily sarga/pratisarga/manvantara in this specific verse, but belongs to the genealogical-legendary narrative layer.
Symbolically, the king ‘going on foot’ can be read as the stripping away of upādhis (status-identities) so that truth (satya) stands without supports. The lament over the queen’s delicate beauty underscores māyā’s poignancy—attachments intensify suffering—yet the narrative’s deeper thrust is toward steadfastness in vow and righteousness despite the pull of affection and social honor.