Harishchandra's Anguished Thoughts

Verse 1 (devibhagavatam.7.24.1)

शौनक उवाच । ततः किमकरोद्राजा चाण्दालस्य गृहे गतः । तद् ब्रूहि सूतवर्य त्वं पृच्छतः सत्वरं हि मे

śaunaka uvāca tataḥ kimakarodrājā cāṇdālasya gṛhe gataḥ tad brūhi sūtavarya tvaṁ pṛcchataḥ satvaraṁ hi me

Shaunaka said: Then, having gone to the Chandala's dwelling, what did the king do? Tell me this, O best of sutas — I ask you eagerly.

Verse 2 (devibhagavatam.7.24.2)

सूत उवाच । विश्वामित्रे गते विप्रे श्वपचो हृष्टमानसः । विश्वामित्राय तद् द्रव्यं दत्त्वा बद्ध्वा नरेश्वरम्

sūta uvāca viśvāmitre gate vipre śvapaco hṛṣṭamānasaḥ viśvāmitrāya tad dravyaṁ dattvā baddhvā nareśvaram

Suta said: When the brahmin Vishvamitra had departed, that outcaste, his heart delighted, having already given Vishvamitra that wealth, bound the king,

Verse 3 (devibhagavatam.7.24.3)

असत्यो यास्यसीत्युक्त्वा दण्डेनाताडयत्तदा । दण्डप्रहारसम्भ्रान्तमतीव व्याकुलेन्द्रियम्

asatyo yāsyasītyuktvā daṇḍenātāḍayattadā daṇḍaprahārasambhrāntamatīva vyākulendriyam

saying, 'You would become untrue,' and struck him then with his rod; and that king, terrified by the blows of the rod, his senses in the greatest turmoil,

Verse 4 (devibhagavatam.7.24.4)

इष्टबन्धुवियोगार्तमानीय निजपक्कणे । निगडे स्थापयित्वा तं स्वयं सुष्वाप विज्वरः

iṣṭabandhuviyogārtamānīya nijapakkaṇe nigaḍe sthāpayitvā taṁ svayaṁ suṣvāpa vijvaraḥ

afflicted by his separation from his dear kin, he led away to his own settlement, placed in fetters, and himself, quite at ease, went to sleep.

Verse 5 (devibhagavatam.7.24.5)

निगडस्थस्ततो राजा वसंश्चाण्डालपक्कणे । अन्नपाने परित्यज्य सदा वै तदशोचयत्

nigaḍasthastato rājā vasaṁścāṇḍālapakkaṇe annapāne parityajya sadā vai tadaśocayat

Then the king, bound in fetters, dwelling in the Chandala's settlement, having renounced food and drink, ever lamented in this way —

Verse 6 (devibhagavatam.7.24.6)

तन्वी दीनमुखी दृष्ट्वा बालं दीनमुखं पुरः । मां स्मरन्त्यसुखाविष्टा मोक्षयिष्यति नौ नृपः

tanvī dīnamukhī dṛṣṭvā bālaṁ dīnamukhaṁ puraḥ māṁ smarantyasukhāviṣṭā mokṣayiṣyati nau nṛpaḥ

My slender, wretched-faced wife, and that boy with his wretched face — both, remembering me, overcome with sorrow, perhaps the king will free us both,

Verse 7 (devibhagavatam.7.24.7)

उपात्तवित्तो विप्राय दत्त्वा वित्तं प्रतिश्रुतम् । रोदमानं सुतं वीक्ष्य मां च सम्बोधयिष्यति

upāttavitto viprāya dattvā vittaṁ pratiśrutam rodamānaṁ sutaṁ vīkṣya māṁ ca sambodhayiṣyati

having given the brahmin the wealth once obtained, having settled the sum he had promised — seeing the weeping son, he will comfort me too.

Verse 8 (devibhagavatam.7.24.8)

तातपार्श्वं व्रजामीति रुदन्तं बालकं पुनः । तात तातेति भाषन्तं तथा सम्बोधयिष्यति

tātapārśvaṁ vrajāmīti rudantaṁ bālakaṁ punaḥ tāta tāteti bhāṣantaṁ tathā sambodhayiṣyati

That child, weeping again and again, saying, 'I wish to go to my father,' crying, 'Father, father,' — he will console him thus —

Verse 9 (devibhagavatam.7.24.9)

न सा मां मृगशावाक्षी वेत्ति चाण्डालतां गतम् । राज्यनाशः सुहृत्त्यागो भार्यातनयविक्रयः

na sā māṁ mṛgaśāvākṣī vetti cāṇḍālatāṁ gatam rājyanāśaḥ suhṛttyāgo bhāryātanayavikrayaḥ

But my wife, with eyes like a fawn's, does not know that I have now fallen into servitude to a Chandala — the loss of the kingdom, the abandonment of friends, the selling of wife and son,

Verse 10 (devibhagavatam.7.24.10)

ततश्चाण्डालता चेयमहो दुःखपरम्परा । एवं स निवसन्नित्यं स्मरंश्च दयितां सुतम्

tataścāṇḍālatā ceyamaho duḥkhaparamparā evaṁ sa nivasannityaṁ smaraṁśca dayitāṁ sutam

and now, on top of it all, this servitude to a Chandala — alas, what an unending chain of sorrows this is! Thus dwelling there, ever remembering his beloved wife and son,

Verse 11 (devibhagavatam.7.24.11)

निनाय दिवसान् राजा चतुरो विधिपीडितः । अथाह्नि पञ्चमे तेन निगडान्मोचितो नृपः

nināya divasān rājā caturo vidhipīḍitaḥ athāhni pañcame tena nigaḍānmocito nṛpaḥ

the fate-stricken king passed four days in this manner. Then, on the fifth day, that Chandala released him from his fetters,

Verse 12 (devibhagavatam.7.24.12)

चाण्डालेनानुशिष्टश्च मृतचैलापहारणे । क्रुद्धेन परुषैर्वाक्यैर्निर्भत्स्य च पुनः पुनः

cāṇḍālenānuśiṣṭaśca mṛtacailāpahāraṇe kruddhena paruṣairvākyairnirbhatsya ca punaḥ punaḥ

and appointed him to the task of stripping the garments from corpses, rebuking him again and again with harsh words, filled with anger —

Verse 13 (devibhagavatam.7.24.13)

काश्याश्च दक्षिणे भागे श्मशानं विद्यते महत् । तद्रक्षस्व यथान्यायं न त्याज्यं तत्त्वया क्वचित्

kāśyāśca dakṣiṇe bhāge śmaśānaṁ vidyate mahat tadrakṣasva yathānyāyaṁ na tyājyaṁ tattvayā kvacit

In the southern quarter of Kashi there lies a great cremation-ground; guard it properly, and you must never abandon it under any circumstance.

Verse 14 (devibhagavatam.7.24.14)

इमं च जर्जरं दण्डं गृहीत्वा याहि मा चिरम् । वीरबाहोरयं दण्ड इति घोषस्व सर्वतः

imaṁ ca jarjaraṁ daṇḍaṁ gṛhītvā yāhi mā ciram vīrabāhorayaṁ daṇḍa iti ghoṣasva sarvataḥ

Take this battered staff in your hand and go at once, and proclaim everywhere as you go, 'This is Virabahu's staff.'

Verse 15 (devibhagavatam.7.24.15)

सूत उवाच । कस्मिंश्चिदथ काले तु मृतचैलापहारकः । हरिश्चन्द्रोऽभवद्राजा श्मशाने दद्वशानुगः

sūta uvāca kasmiṁścidatha kāle tu mṛtacailāpahārakaḥ hariścandro'bhavadrājā śmaśāne dadvaśānugaḥ

Suta said: In time, King Harishchandra, having fallen under that Chandala's authority, became a stripper of corpses' garments, dwelling in the cremation-ground.

Verse 16 (devibhagavatam.7.24.16)

चाण्डालेनानुशिष्टस्तु मृतचैलापहारिणा । राजा तेन समादिष्टो जगाम शवमन्दिरम्

cāṇḍālenānuśiṣṭastu mṛtacailāpahāriṇā rājā tena samādiṣṭo jagāma śavamandiram

By the command of that corpse-cloth-stripping Chandala, the king, sent forth by him, made his way toward that place of the dead.

Verse 17 (devibhagavatam.7.24.17)

पुर्यास्तु दक्षिणे देशे विद्यमानं भयानकम् । शवमाल्यसमाकीर्णं दुर्गन्धं बहुधूमकम्

puryāstu dakṣiṇe deśe vidyamānaṁ bhayānakam śavamālyasamākīrṇaṁ durgandhaṁ bahudhūmakam

There, in the southern quarter of the city, lay that most dreadful place, strewn with the garlands of corpses, foul with stench, thick with smoke —

Verse 18 (devibhagavatam.7.24.18)

श्मशानं घोरसन्नादं शिवाशतसमाकुलम् । गृद्ध्रगोमायुसङ्कीर्णं श्ववृन्दपरिवारितम्

śmaśānaṁ ghorasannādaṁ śivāśatasamākulam gṛddhragomāyusaṅkīrṇaṁ śvavṛndaparivāritam

that cremation-ground echoing with terrible sounds, teeming with hundreds of jackals, crowded with vultures and foxes, surrounded by packs of dogs,

Verse 19 (devibhagavatam.7.24.19)

अस्थिसङ्घातसङ्कीर्णं महादुर्गन्धसङ्कुलम् । अर्धदग्धशवास्यानि विकसद्दन्तपङ्क्तिभिः

asthisaṅghātasaṅkīrṇaṁ mahādurgandhasaṅkulam ardhadagdhaśavāsyāni vikasaddantapaṅktibhiḥ

strewn with heaps of bones, pervaded by the most overpowering stench, the mouths of half-burnt corpses with their rows of jutting teeth,

Verse 20 (devibhagavatam.7.24.20)

हसन्तीवाग्निमध्यस्थकायस्यैवं व्यवस्थितिः । नानामृतसुहृन्नादं महाकोलाहलाकुलम्

hasantīvāgnimadhyasthakāyasyaivaṁ vyavasthitiḥ nānāmṛtasuhṛnnādaṁ mahākolāhalākulam

as if laughing at their own bodies lying amid the fire — such was the state of that place; filled with the wailing of the kinsfolk of the many dead, in an uproar of great tumult,

Verse 21 (devibhagavatam.7.24.21)

हा पुत्र मित्र हा बन्धो भ्रातर्वत्स प्रियाद्य मे । हाप्यते भागिनेयार्ह हा मातुल पितामह

hā putra mitra hā bandho bhrātarvatsa priyādya me hāpyate bhāgineyārha hā mātula pitāmaha

'Alas, my son! Alas, my friend! Alas, kinsman! O brother! O dear child, my beloved, today...! Alas, nephew, where have you gone! O uncle! O grandfather!

Verse 22 (devibhagavatam.7.24.22)

मातामह पितः पौत्र क्व गतोऽस्येहि बान्धव । इति शब्दैः समाकीर्णं भैरवैः सर्वदेहिनाम्

mātāmaha pitaḥ pautra kva gato'syehi bāndhava iti śabdaiḥ samākīrṇaṁ bhairavaiḥ sarvadehinām

O maternal grandfather! O father! O grandson! Where have you gone, O kinsman!' — filled with all these cries, echoing with the dreadful lamentations of every mourner there,

Verse 23 (devibhagavatam.7.24.23)

ज्वलन्मांसवसामेदच्छूमिति ध्वनिसङ्कुलम् । अग्नेश्चटचटाशब्दो भैरवो यत्र जायते

jvalanmāṁsavasāmedacchūmiti dhvanisaṅkulam agneścaṭacaṭāśabdo bhairavo yatra jāyate

filled with the hissing sound of flesh, fat, and marrow as they burned, where the fire's terrible crackling sound arose without end —

Verse 24 (devibhagavatam.7.24.24)

कल्पान्तसदृशाकारं श्मशानं तत्सुदारुणम् । स राजा तत्र सम्प्राप्तो दुःखादेवमशोचत

kalpāntasadṛśākāraṁ śmaśānaṁ tatsudāruṇam sa rājā tatra samprāpto duḥkhādevamaśocata

that terrible cremation-ground, dreadful in aspect as the very end of an age — that king, arriving there, lamented thus in his sorrow —

Verse 25 (devibhagavatam.7.24.25)

हा भृत्या मन्त्रिणो यूयं क्व तद्राज्यं कुलोचितम् । हा प्रिय पुत्र मे बाल मां त्यक्त्वा मन्दभाग्यकम्

hā bhṛtyā mantriṇo yūyaṁ kva tadrājyaṁ kulocitam hā priya putra me bāla māṁ tyaktvā mandabhāgyakam

Alas, my servants! Alas, my ministers, where are you now? Where is that kingdom fitting my lineage? Alas, my dear child, my son — you have abandoned me, so ill-fated,

Verse 26 (devibhagavatam.7.24.26)

ब्राह्मणस्य च कोपेन गता यूयं क्व दूरतः । विना धर्मं मनुष्याणां जायते न शुभं क्वचित्

brāhmaṇasya ca kopena gatā yūyaṁ kva dūrataḥ vinā dharmaṁ manuṣyāṇāṁ jāyate na śubhaṁ kvacit

and, through the wrath of a single brahmin, where have you all gone so far away? Without dharma, no good ever comes to human beings anywhere.

Verse 27 (devibhagavatam.7.24.27)

यत्नतो धारयेत्तस्मात्पुरुषो धर्ममेव हि । इत्येवं चिन्तयंस्तत्र चाण्डालोक्तं पुनः पुनः

yatnato dhārayettasmātpuruṣo dharmameva hi ityevaṁ cintayaṁstatra cāṇḍāloktaṁ punaḥ punaḥ

Therefore a man should hold fast to dharma alone, with all his effort. Thus reflecting there, remembering again and again the Chandala's own words,

Verse 28 (devibhagavatam.7.24.28)

मलेन दिग्धसर्वाङ्गः शवानां दर्शने व्रजन् । लकुटाकारकल्पश्च धावंश्चापि ततस्ततः

malena digdhasarvāṅgaḥ śavānāṁ darśane vrajan lakuṭākārakalpaśca dhāvaṁścāpi tatastataḥ

his whole body smeared with grime, going to inspect the corpses, hard as a staff himself, running here and there — he

Verse 29 (devibhagavatam.7.24.29)

अस्मिञ्छव इदं मौल्यं शतं प्राप्स्यामि चाग्रतः । इदं मम इदं राज्ञ इदं चाण्डालकस्य च

asmiñchava idaṁ maulyaṁ śataṁ prāpsyāmi cāgrataḥ idaṁ mama idaṁ rājña idaṁ cāṇḍālakasya ca

would think to himself: from this corpse I shall receive such a price, a hundred coins — this share is mine, this is the king's, this is the Chandala's — thus he thought continually.

Verse 30 (devibhagavatam.7.24.30)

इत्येवं चिन्तयन् राजा व्यवस्थां दुस्तरां गतः । जीर्णैकपटसुग्रन्थिकृतकन्थापरिग्रहः

ityevaṁ cintayan rājā vyavasthāṁ dustarāṁ gataḥ jīrṇaikapaṭasugranthikṛtakanthāparigrahaḥ

Thus thinking, the king was compelled to accept that near-unbearable condition; wearing a worn patchwork garment knotted together from a single ragged cloth,

Verse 31 (devibhagavatam.7.24.31)

चिताभस्मरजोलिप्तमुखबाहूदराङ्घ्रिकः । नानामेदोवसामज्जालिप्तपाण्यङ्गुलिः श्वसन्

citābhasmarajoliptamukhabāhūdarāṅghrikaḥ nānāmedovasāmajjāliptapāṇyaṅguliḥ śvasan

his face, arms, belly, and feet smeared with the dust of funeral ash, his very fingers smeared with all manner of fat and marrow, panting for breath,

Verse 32 (devibhagavatam.7.24.32)

नानाशवौदनकृतक्षुन्निवृत्तिपरायणः । तदीयमाल्यसंश्लेषकृतमस्तकमण्डलः

nānāśavaudanakṛtakṣunnivṛttiparāyaṇaḥ tadīyamālyasaṁśleṣakṛtamastakamaṇḍalaḥ

reduced to satisfying his hunger with the rice-offerings made to the dead, wearing upon his head a crown fashioned from the very garlands of corpses —

Verse 33 (devibhagavatam.7.24.33)

न रात्रौ न दिवा शेते हाहेति प्रवदन्मुहुः । एवं द्वादश मासास्तु नीता वर्षशतोपमाः

na rātrau na divā śete hāheti pravadanmuhuḥ evaṁ dvādaśa māsāstu nītā varṣaśatopamāḥ

he slept neither by night nor by day, crying, 'Alas, alas,' again and again. In this way twelve months passed, which felt to him like a hundred years.