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Shloka 3

Adhyaya 8Harishchandra’s Trial: Truth, the Sale of Family, and Bondage to a Chandala

पक्षिण ऊचुः विश्वामित्रवचः श्रुत्वा स राजा प्रययौ शनैः ।

शैव्यानुगतो दुःखी भार्यया बलपुत्रया ॥

pakṣiṇa ūcuḥ viśvāmitravacaḥ śrutvā sa rājā prayayau śanaiḥ | śaivyānugato duḥkhī bhāryayā balaputrayā ||

پرندوں نے کہا—وشوامتر کے کلمات سن کر وہ بادشاہ آہستہ آہستہ روانہ ہوا۔ غم سے نڈھال ہو کر وہ شَیویہ کے پیچھے چلا، اپنی زوجہ اور کم سن بیٹے کے ساتھ۔

pakṣiṇaḥbirds
pakṣiṇaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootpakṣin (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन)
ūcuḥsaid
ūcuḥ:
Kriya (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootvac (धातु)
FormPerfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)
viśvāmitra-vacaḥViśvāmitra’s words
viśvāmitra-vacaḥ:
Karma (कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootviśvāmitra (प्रातिपदिक) + vacas (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (viśvāmitrasya vacaḥ)
śrutvāhaving heard
śrutvā:
Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeVerb
Rootśru (धातु)
FormAbsolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/अव्ययभाव), ‘having heard’
saḥhe
saḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Roottad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); demonstrative pronoun
rājāthe king
rājā:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootrājan (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)
prayayaudeparted/went forth
prayayau:
Kriya (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootyā (धातु) + pra (उपसर्ग)
FormPerfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)
śanaiḥslowly
śanaiḥ:
Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootśanaiḥ (अव्यय)
FormAdverb (क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय)
śaivyā-anugataḥaccompanied by Śaivyā
śaivyā-anugataḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeAdjective
Rootśaivyā (प्रातिपदिक) + anugata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √gam + anu)
FormMasculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); उपपद-तत्पुरुषः: ‘followed by Śaivyā’
duḥkhīsorrowful
duḥkhī:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeAdjective
Rootduḥkhin (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)
bhāryayāwith (his) wife
bhāryayā:
Sahakāraka (सह/साकं—सहकारक)
TypeNoun
Rootbhāryā (प्रातिपदिक)
FormFeminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Singular (एकवचन)
bala-putrayāwith (his) wife (and) son Bala
bala-putrayā:
Sahakāraka (सहकारक)
TypeNoun
Rootbala (प्रातिपदिक) + putra (प्रातिपदिक)
FormFeminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ‘(wife) having a son named Bala / with Bala as son’ (contextual)
The Birds (Dharmapakṣīs) narrating

{ "primaryRasa": "karuna", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Frame narrativeKingship and exileHuman sorrow and attachmentNarrative transition (movement to next episode)

FAQs

The verse underscores the ordinary human condition even in royalty: after receiving counsel, one still moves through sorrow and attachment (family, duty, uncertainty). It sets a moral tone that instruction (śravaṇa) is the first step, but inner transformation is gradual (śanaiḥ).

This verse is primarily narrative framing rather than a direct Pancalakṣaṇa unit. It most closely supports Vaṃśānucarita (dynastic/royal narrative) by tracking a king’s movement and circumstances, serving as connective tissue leading into the larger theological discourse.

‘Going slowly’ (śanaiḥ) while ‘sorrowful’ (duḥkhī) symbolizes the jīva’s burdened progression under saṃsāric conditioning. The accompaniment of wife and young son highlights binding ties (bandhana) that later make the turn toward refuge (śaraṇāgati)—a thematic doorway into the Devī-centered resolution that follows in the broader cycle.