Shloka 46

Adhyaya 7 — Harishchandra Tested by Vishvamitra: The Gift of the Kingdom and the Pandava Curse-Backstory

Sanskrit

तं सभार्यं नृपश्रेष्ठं निर्यान्तं ससुतं पुरात् ।

दृष्ट्वा प्रचुक्रुशुः पौराः राज्ञश्चैवानुयायिनः ॥

Transliteration

taṃ sabhāryaṃ nṛpaśreṣṭhaṃ niryāntaṃ sasutaṃ purāt /

dṛṣṭvā pracukruśuḥ paurā rājñaś caivānuyāyinaḥ //

Translation

Thấy vị vua tối thắng ấy rời khỏi thành, cùng với vợ và con trai, dân chúng trong thành và các tùy tùng của vua đều cất tiếng kêu than vang dội.

Word by Word

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Accusative/द्वितीया (2), Singular/एकवचन, Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग)

• sa-bhāryam: together with his wife
• sa-bhāryam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (अव्यय/उपसर्ग-सदृश) + bhāryā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative/द्वितीया (2), Singular/एकवचन; tatpuruṣa ‘with (his) wife’ (सह-भाव) qualifying tam

• nṛpa-śreṣṭham: the best of kings
• nṛpa-śreṣṭham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक) + śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative/द्वितीया (2), Singular/एकवचन; appositional to tam

• niryāntam: departing/going out
• niryāntam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nir-yā (धातु)
• Form: Present active participle/शतृ (śatṛ), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative/द्वितीया (2), Singular/एकवचन; ‘going out’

• sa-sutam: together with his son
• sa-sutam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (अव्यय/उपसर्ग-सदृश) + suta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative/द्वितीया (2), Singular/एकवचन; tatpuruṣa ‘with (his) son’ qualifying tam

• purāt: from the city
• purāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Ablative/पञ्चमी (5), Singular/एकवचन

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Gerund/क्त्वा (ktvā)

• pracukruśuḥ: cried out/lamented
• pracukruśuḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kruś (धातु)
• Form: Perfect/लिट् (Liṭ), 3rd person/प्रथमपुरुष, Plural/बहुवचन, Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद); with preverb pra-

• paurāḥ: the townspeople
• paurāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative/प्रथमा (1), Plural/बहुवचन

• rājñaḥ: of the king
• rājñaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive/षष्ठी (6), Singular/एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय-निपात)

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Avadhāraṇa (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (अवधारण-निपात)

• anuyāyinaḥ: followers/attendants
• anuyāyinaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anu-yāyin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative/प्रथमा (1), Plural/बहुवचन

Speakers

• Third-person narrative (Purana narrator within the Markandeya Purana’s broader storytelling frame)

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Rajadharma
• Separation and lament
• Impermanence of worldly status
• Public loyalty to a righteous ruler

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse highlights the social and ethical bond between a righteous ruler and his people: when the king is forced to depart, the citizens’ lament reflects both loyalty and the fragility of political fortune. It underscores the Purāṇic reminder that worldly sovereignty is unstable, while dharmic conduct earns genuine affection and remembrance.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

This verse is best classified under Vaṃśa/vaṃśānucarita (dynastic/royal narrative and exemplary conduct), rather than sarga/pratisarga/manvantara. It functions as narrative history illustrating dharma through a king’s life circumstances.

What is the esoteric significance?

On a symbolic level, the king’s exit from the city with wife and son can be read as the jīva’s departure from established identity and security (the ‘city’) into uncertainty—an outward loss that often precedes inward awakening. The lamenting populace and attendants mirror the pull of attachments that arise when one is compelled toward renunciation or exile.