Glimpses of The Devi Bhagavatam: 38. HARISCHANDRA COMES OUT OF ALL TESTS

 

INDIAN MYTHOLOGY

Glimpses of The Devi Bhagavatam:

38. HARISCHANDRA COMES OUT OF ALL TESTS

Harischandra was now in a fix. He said, “How can I give you anything more when I am left with nothing?”

“That’s your business. But I’m not going to waive my claim to dakshina,” said the Brahmin quite curtly.

“What do you expect as dakshina?” asked the king.

The Brahmin demanded an amount of gold that was considerable.

“All right,” said the king, “give me time and I’ll earn the amount and give it to you.

” The king returned to the palace, sad and pale. “What’s the matter with you?” asked Queen Shaivya. The king told her everything and added, “Tomorrow we must leave the palace, as it is no longer ours!”

Early in the morning the king, queen, and their son Rohit left the palace. Men and women flocked to them, weeping. But the king asked them to go back.

The old Brahmin met them as soon as they were out of the city. “Give me a month’s time. Look upon me as one who is indebted to you,” said the king.

They reached the city of Varanasi. Whatever the king earned was just enough to sustain the three of them. A month passed. The old Brahmin appeared and demanded his dues.

“O Brahmin! You cannot say that the full month has passed, since the sun has not yet set over for this day,” said the king.

“I shall return soon after sunset,” warned the Brahmin as he left them.

To the pensive king, Queen Shaivya said, “Please sell me away as a slave. The amount you receive might enable you to settle your debt.”

The proposal shocked the king. The queen of a great dynasty to be sold as a slave? The thought drove him almost mad!

“It is most important that you fulfil your promise. There’ll be nothing more satisfying to me than to be helpful to you. Please do not hesitate,” said the queen.

The king stood on the roadside and shouted: “Ho! Is there anybody willing to buy my wife?” Passers-by collected there. Out of them was Viswamitra, now assuming another figure.

“My wife is old. I need a woman to do my household chores. I shall buy your wife,” he said.

Then, looking at Queen Shaivya, he said again, “I’m prepared to give the amount that a woman with the highest signs of virtue deserves. I can see that this woman has all such signs.”

The Brahmin pushed the price into the dazed king’s hands and commanded the queen to follow him.

Prince Rohit broke into tears and ran behind his mother.

“O my master, won’t you be pleased to buy my son? It will be hard for me to work in your household without him. You can give him some work. I assure you that he’ll do it sincerely and honestly,” pleaded Shaivya.

The Brahmin reluctantly paid some more money to Harischandra for the boy.

As the queen and prince departed, the king fainted for a moment. But Viswamitra, taking the form of the old Brahmin, appeared there soon and reminded the king that the sun had already set.

The king handed out to him the money he had received as the price for his wife and son. The Brahmin counted the amount and said it still fell short of his demand.

“Wait a little. I’ll offer myself for sale,” said the king. He once again called out to passers-by to buy him.

The king was employed to collect fees from those who came to the cremation ground to bury their dead.

Days passed. The queen and her son continued to work in the Brahmin’s household. One day, while the boy was climbing an old tree to gather dry firewood, he was bitten by a snake. He fell down dead. Shaivya came running to him.

“You cannot waste your time over a dead son. Go back to your work. You may take the corpse to the cremation ground at night,” the Brahmin ordered.

It was midnight when Shaivya carried her son’s body to the cremation ground, all by herself.

“Who are you? Pay the fee before cremating the corpse!” said Harishchandra who was guarding the ground.

“I don’t have any money to pay. I shall cremate my son’s body myself!” said the weeping queen.

Her voice startled Harischandra. He came near the corpse and removed the piece of cloth covering it. Seeing that it was Rohit who lay dead, he gave out a cry of horror.

The queen now recognised him. Together they bemoaned their fate. They then lighted the funeral pyre for Rohit and decided to sacrifice themselves in it.

But when they were about to lie down on Rohit’s pyre, a golden light illumined the place.

To their great surprise, they saw the Divine Mother appearing before them. Behind Her appeared several gods and goddesses. The old Brahmin was there, too, now revealing himself as Viswamitra.

To the great joy of the royal couple, Rohit sat up as if he had woken up from deep sleep.

“You’ve stood the most severe test, O King!” said the Divine Mother. Indra, the king of gods, stepped forward and said that King Harischandra and Queen Shaivya had earned their right to dwell in heaven. All this because they had never for a moment lost their faith in the Divine Mother.

Harischandra, Shaivya and Rohit returned to Ayodhya. In due course of time, Rohit succeeded to the throne. The king and queen ascended the heaven. The saga of Harischandra remains immortal as an illustration of truthfulness.

(The End)