श्रीशुक उवाच ।
मान्धातुः पुत्रप्रवरो योऽम्बरीषः प्रकीर्तितः ।
पितामहेन प्रवृतो यौवनाश्वश्च तत्सुतः ।
हारीतस्तस्य पुत्रोऽभून्मान्धातृप्रवरा इमे ॥ १॥
नर्मदा भ्रातृभिर्दत्ता पुरुकुत्साय योरगैः ।
तया रसातलं नीतो भुजगेन्द्रप्रयुक्तया ॥ २॥
गन्धर्वानवधीत्तत्र वध्यान् वै विष्णुशक्तिधृक् ।
नागाल्लब्धवरः सर्पादभयं स्मरतामिदम् ॥ ३॥
त्रसद्दस्युः पौरुकुत्सो योऽनरण्यस्य देहकृत् ।
हर्यश्वस्तत्सुतस्तस्मादरुणोऽथ त्रिबन्धनः ॥ ४॥
तस्य सत्यव्रतः पुत्रस्त्रिशङ्कुरिति विश्रुतः ।
प्राप्तश्चाण्डालतां शापाद्गुरोः कौशिकतेजसा ॥ ५॥
सशरीरो गतः स्वर्गमद्यापि दिवि दृश्यते ।
पातितोऽवाक्शिरा देवैस्तेनैव स्तम्भितो बलात् ॥ ६॥
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Śrī Śuka resumed : The foremost of the (three) sons (Purukutsa and others) of Māndhātā, who was celebrated by the name of Ambariṣa, was adopted (as a son) by his grandfather (Yuvanaśwa) and Yauvanāśwa was the son of Ambariṣa. Hārīta was the son of Yauvanāśwa. These (three) turned out to be the foremost of Māndhātā's line (and the first of three branches of this line). (1)
Purukutsa (the eldest of the three* sons of Māndhātā) was taken to Rasātala (the sixth of the subterranean spheres from above) by Narmadā, as directed by Vāsuki (the king of serpents)—the same Narmadā who had been given to him in marriage by his brothers, the serpent-demons. (2)
There indeed Purukutsa (who wielded the power infused into him by Lord Viṣṇu) killed (a number of) Gandharvas who (being enemies of the Nāgas and wicked too) deserved to be slain. (In recognition of this service) he secured from Vāsuki (the chief of the Nāgas) the boon of security from the serpent race for those who remember this anecdote. (3)
Purukutsa's son (named after his grandfather† was Trasaddasyu, who was the father of Anaraṇya. Anaraṇya's son was Haryāśwa and of Haryāśwa, Aruṇa was born; while from (the loins of ) the latter sprang up Tribandhana. (4)
Tribandhana's son, Satyavrata, became celebrated under the name of Triśaṅku.‡ Having got the rank of a Cāṇḍāla (pariah) under a curse from his father, he bodily ascended to heaven by virtue of the extraordinary might of the sage Viśwāmitra (a scion of Kuśika) and can be seen in the heavens (in the form of a star of that name) even to this day, having been forcibly stopped (in mind air) by the same seer when hurled, head downward, by the gods (from heaven). (5-6) (1-6)
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पितृश्चापरितोषेण गुरोर्दीर्भ्रावधेन च । अप्रोक्षितोपयोगाच्च त्रिविधस्ते व्यतिक्रमः ॥
यदि वीरो महाराज तेनैव त्वां यजे इति ।
तथेति वरुणेनास्य पुत्रो जातस्तु रोहितः ॥ ९॥
जातःसुतो ह्यनेनाङ्ग मां यजस्वेति सोऽब्रवीत् ।
यदा पशुर्निर्दशः स्यादथ मेध्यो भवेदिति ॥ १०॥
निर्दशे च स आगत्य यजस्वेत्याह सोऽब्रवीत् ।
दन्ताः पशोर्यज्जायेरन्नथ मेध्यो भवेदिति ॥ ११॥
जाता दन्ता यजस्वेति स प्रत्याहाथ सोऽब्रवीत् ।
यदा पतन्त्यस्य दन्ता अथ मेध्यो भवेदिति ॥ १२॥
पशोर्निपतिता दन्ता यजस्वेत्याह सोऽब्रवीत् ।
यदा पशोः पुनर्दन्ता जायन्तेऽथ पशुः शुचिः ॥ १३॥
पुनर्जाता यजस्वेति स प्रत्याहाथ सोऽब्रवीत् ।
सान्नाहिको यदा राजन् राजन्योऽथ पशुः शुचिः ॥ १४॥
इति पुत्रानुरागेण स्नेहयन्त्रितचेतसा ।
कालं वञ्चयता तं तमुक्तो देवस्तमैक्षत ॥ १५॥
रोहितस्तदभिज्ञाय पितुः कर्म चिकीर्षितम् ।
प्राणप्रेप्सुर्धनुष्पाणिररण्यं प्रत्यपद्यत ॥ १६॥
पितरं वरुणग्रस्तं श्रुत्वा जातमहोदरम् ।
रोहितो ग्राममेयाय तमिन्द्रः प्रत्यषेधत ॥ १७॥
भूमेः पर्यटनं पुण्यं तीर्थक्षेत्रनिषेवणैः ।
रोहितायादिशच्छक्रः सोऽप्यरण्येऽवसत्समाम् ॥ १८॥
एवं द्वितीये तृतीये चतुर्थे पञ्चमे तथा ।
अभ्येत्याभ्येत्य स्थविरो विप्रो भूत्वाऽऽह वृत्रहा ॥ १९॥
षष्ठं संवत्सरं तत्र चरित्वा रोहितः पुरीम् ।
उपव्रजन्नजीगर्तादक्रीणान्मध्यमं सुतम् ॥ २०॥
शुनःशेफं पशुं पित्रे प्रदाय समवन्दत ।
ततः पुरुषमेधेन हरिश्चन्द्रो महायशाः ॥ २१॥
मुक्तोदरोऽयजद्देवान् वरुणादीन् महत्कथः ।
विश्वामित्रोऽभवत्तस्मिन् होता चाध्वर्युरात्मवान् ॥ २२॥
जमदग्निरभूद्ब्रह्मा वसिष्ठोऽयास्यसामगः ।
तस्मै तुष्टो ददाविन्द्रः शातकौम्भमयं रथम् ॥ २३॥
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Triśaṅku's son was Hariścandra, because of whom there raged a fight, lasting for many years, between the sages Viśwāmitra and Vasiṣṭha, who (having been mutually cursed) had been transformed into two birds. (7)
Devoid of (any) issue and (therefore) sad at heart, Hariścandra sought, under the instructions of (the sage) Nārada, Varuṇa (the god of water) as his protector with the following prayer:—"Let a son be born to me, O lord! (8)
If he turns out to be a hero, O great lord, I shall propitiate you by sacrificing him (to you)." Varuṇa granted his prayer, saying "Be it so! and through the agency of Varuṇa a son, Rohita (by name), was born to Hariścandra. (9)
"Now that a son has been born (to you), propitiate me, dear king, by sacrificing him to me," Varuṇa (appeared and) said (to Hariścandra, who replied): "A prospective victim is (considered) fit for being sacrificed only when it has passed the age of ten days." (10)
On the child having crossed (the limit of) ten days, the god appeared (before him again) and said, "(Please) sacrifice the child now." Hariścandra (however) replied, "A prospective victim is (deemed) fit for being sacrificed only when it has teethed." (11)
After the dentition of the child, Varuṇa (approached and) said once more, "The teeth have (already) appeared; (please) propitiate me (now)." Thereupon the king replied, "When its (first) teeth have fallen, the victim will be fit for being sacrificed (only) then." (12)
(On the teeth having fallen,) Varuṇa (appeared once more and) said, "The teeth of the prospective victim have (already) fallen, (please) worship me (now)." (To this) Hariścandra replied, "When the teeth of the prospective victim sprout again, then (alone) is the prospective victim (regarded as) sacred." (13)
(On the child having teethed again) the god of water (appeared and) said once more, "The teeth have grown again, (please) sacrifice the child (now)." Thereupon Hariścandra replied, "A prospective victim belonging to the Kṣatriya race is (recognized as) sacred (fit to be sacrificed) only when he is able to put on his armour, O lord !" (14)
In this way the god (of water) waited for the time he was asked to wait by Hariścandra, whose mind was bound with ties of affection and who was gaining time due to love for his son. (15)
Having come to know of the aforesaid sacrifice intended to be performed by his father (Hariścandra), Rohita (who had now grown in years as well as in understanding) betook himself to the woods) bow in hand, anxious to save his life. (16)
Hearing that, visited by (angry) Varuṇa (the god of water), his father had developed the disease of dropsy, Rohita was about to return to his home when Indra stopped him (saying that he would certainly be sacrificed to Varuṇa if he returned home). (17)
Indra (further) counselled Rohita to undertake a holy tour over the earth by visiting sacred lakes and rivers and other places of pilgrimage (in order to atone for the offence of his father against Varuṇa and thereby rid him of his malady) and Rohita too (accordingly) tarried in the forest for a year (going from place to place as advised by Indra). (18)
Likewise during the second, third, fourth and fifth years as well indra (the slayer of the demon Vṛtra) came to him, disguised as an aged Brāhmaṇa, and repeated the same advice. (19)
Having roamed about in the woods during the sixth year (as well), Rohita purchased from Ajigarta (a descendant of the celebrated sage Bhrgu) his middle (second) son, Śunaḥśepa (by name), while returning to the city (in order to see his father); and, handing him over to Hariścandra (his own father) as a (prospective) victim (to be sacrificed to Varuṇa) bowed low to him (his father). Thereupon the highly-renowned Hariścandra, whose stories were sung by the great, propitiated Varuṇa (the god of water) and the other gods by means of a human sacrifice and was (consequently) relieved of his dropsy (stomach disease). At that sacrifice the sage Viśwāmitra officiated as the Hotā; the sage Jamadagni, who had (duly) controlled his mind, as the Adhwaryu; the sage Vasiṣṭha as the Brahmā and the sage Agastya as the Udgātā (the chanter of Sāmaveda). Pleased with him, Indra give him a chariot of gold. (20—23)
- It is well-known that under the pretext of demanding the Dakṣiṇā due to himself for the Rājasūya sacrifice conducted by him on behalf of king Hariścandra, the sage Viśwāmitra not only stripped him of his all but persecuted him in many other ways too; but Hariścandra remained true to his word and firm under the most trying circumstances. The sage Vasiṣṭha, the king's preceptor, flew into a rage when he heard this and uttered on him the curse that he would be transformed into an Aḍi (a species of cranes). Viśwāmitra too pronounced a counter-curse on Vasiṣṭha to the effect that he would be changed into a heron.
(9-23)
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शुनःशेफस्य माहात्म्यमुपरिष्टात्प्रचक्ष्यते ।
सत्यसारां धृतिं दृष्ट्वा सभार्यस्य च भूपतेः ॥ २४॥
विश्वामित्रो भृशं प्रीतो ददावविहतां गतिम् ।
मनः पृथिव्यां तामद्भिस्तेजसापोऽनिलेन तत् ॥ २५॥
खे वायुं धारयंस्तच्च भूतादौ तं महात्मनि ।
तस्मिन् ज्ञानकलां ध्यात्वा तयाज्ञानं विनिर्दहन् ॥ २६॥
हित्वा तां स्वेन भावेन निर्वाणसुखसंविदा ।
अनिर्देश्याप्रतर्क्येण तस्थौ विध्वस्तबन्धनः ॥ २७॥
इति श्रीमद्भागवते महापुराणे पारमहंस्यां संहितायां
नवमस्कन्धे हरिश्चन्द्रोपाख्यानं नाम सप्तमोऽध्यायः ॥ ७॥
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The glory of Śunaḥśepa (who was not eventually sacrificed but attained liberation during his very lifetime) will be recounted later (in connection with the story of Viśwāmitra's son)† And highly gratified to perceive (on another occasion) the firmness of the king (Hariścandra) as well as of his wife (Śaibyā)‡—firmness which derived its strength from his veracity—the sage Viśwāmitra vouchsafed to him (as a boon) unobstructed knowledge (of the Self). (Mentally) merging his mind (which is said to be a modification of the food⁵ that one takes) in earth (the source of all food), he identified the earth with water, water with fire and the latter with the air; and (again) merging the air in ether, the latter in the Tāmasika aspect of the Ego and the said Tāmasika Ego in the Mahat-tattva (the principle of cosmic intelligence), and laying aside its objective character, he contemplated its knowledge aspect as his very self and through such contemplation he finally and thoroughly burnt his ignorance (that veiled the nature of the Self). (24—26)
(Again,) giving up that contemplation (too) through consciousness consisting of unmixed bliss, and with (all) his bondage (in the shape of self-identification with the body and so on) shaken off he stood in his essential character, which is beyond the range of description and reasoning. (27)
Thus ends the seventh discourse, entitled the "Story of Hariścandra," in Book Nine of the great and glorious Bhāgavata-Purāṇa, otherwise known as the Paramahamsa-Sarhhitā.
* For the respective function of these priests vide foot-note below i.v.19. (24-27)
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