Shloka 43
Adhyaya 7 — Harishchandra Tested by Vishvamitra: The Gift of the Kingdom and the Pandava Curse-Backstory
हरिश्चन्द्र उवाच मासेन तव विप्रर्षे प्रदास्ये दक्षिणाधनम् । साम्प्रतं नास्ति मे वित्तमनुज्ञां दातुमर्हसि ॥
haricandra uvāca māsena tava viprarṣe pradāsye dakṣiṇā-dhanam | sāmprataṃ nāsti me vittam anujñāṃ dātum arhasi ||
Harishchandra nói: “Hỡi bậc tối thắng trong hàng Bà-la-môn, trong vòng một tháng ta sẽ dâng khoản dakṣiṇā (tiền cúng dường) như đã hứa. Hiện nay ta không có của cải; vì vậy xin ngài cho phép ta có thời gian để dâng nộp.”
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FAQs
The verse foregrounds satya and niyama in dāna: Harishchandra does not deny the obligation of dakṣiṇā; instead he confesses present incapacity and asks for time. The ethical point is that dharma includes both commitment to one’s word and truthful disclosure of one’s circumstances—avoiding deceit while still honoring the vow.
This verse belongs primarily to Vaṃśānucarita (dynastic/royal narrative exempla) rather than sarga/pratisarga/manvantara. It uses an itihāsa-like royal episode to teach dharma through lineage-based storytelling, a common Purāṇic instructional mode.
On a symbolic level, the ‘month’ functions as a liminal period of testing: dharma is not merely ritual payment but inner integrity maintained across time and adversity. Dakṣiṇā here can be read as the ‘due’ offered to spiritual authority (ṛṣi/vidyā), and the king’s poverty highlights the stripping away of ego and sovereignty before the law of truth.