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 ||
哈利什旃陀罗说道：“噢，婆罗门中最殊胜者，一月之内我必奉上所许之达克希纳（dakṣiṇā，供施之金）。如今我无财物，因此请准我得以延期，以便奉献。”
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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.