{"collection":"Hinduism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/hin/db/bk07ch21.htm","path":"hin/db/bk07ch21.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk07ch21.htm","text":"THE SEVENTH BOOK\nChapter XXI\nOn the description of the sorrows of Haris\u2019chandra\n1-5. Vy\u00e2sa said :-- O King! At this moment, the Muni Vis\u2019v\u00e2mitra, endowed with his power of tapas, came up there, very angry as if the God of Death, to ask of his wealth. Seeing him Haris\u2019chandra fallen thus senseless on the ground, Vis\u2019v\u00e2mitra, then, began to sprinkle water on his body. O King! The man who is involved in a debt his troubles increase day by day. So get up and pay your promised Daksin\u00e2. The King, thus sprinkled with water, cold as snow, regained his consciousness; but, seeing Vis\u2019v\u00e2mitra, he fainted again. At this, the Dv\u00eeja Vis\u2019v\u00e2mitra consoled him and angrily spoke to him thus :--\n6-10. O King! If you want to maintain your steadiness, give, then my Daksin\u00e2. Look! It is Truth that makes the Sun shine; It is the Truth that has stationed this Earth in its position; what to speak more, even the Svarga is established on Truth; so the greatest Dharma lies in Truth. If the fruit of the thousand As\u2019vamedhas be held in one pan and Truth be held on the other pan of the balance, then Truth outweighs the thousand horse sacrifices or what need I to speak all about this! O King! If you fail to give my Daksin\u00e2 before the Sunset, I will, no doubt, curse you. Saying this, Vis\u2019v\u00e2mitra went away. The King also became very terrified. The wealthless King was pained by the words of the Muni; but he was more troubled with the thought how he would pay him and keep to Truth.\n11-13. S\u00fbta said :-- O Risis! At this time, a Br\u00e2hmin, skilled in the Vedas, with many other Br\u00e2hmins, started out of his house, at that very place. The queen, then seeing the Br\u00e2hmin ascetic close by, addressed the King in words reasonable and in accordance with the Dharma, O Lord! A Br\u00e2hmin is considered the father of the other three Varnas (i.e., Ksattriyas, Vais\u2019yas, and S\u2019\u00fbdras) and a son can certainly take the father\u2019s things; so it is my intention that you beg your wealth from this Br\u00e2hmin.\n14-18. The King said :-- \u201cO One of thin waist! To beg suits the Br\u00e2hmanas; it is prohibited to the Ksattriyas; I being a Ksattriya do not wish to take anything as gift. The Br\u00e2hmins are the Gurus of all the Varnas. So they are always to be respected. It is not proper to beg from a Br\u00e2hmin; especially the Ksattriyas never ask anything from\nthe Br\u00e2hmins; it is totally prohibited. Offering oblations, study, gift and the governing of subjects and protecting those that take refuge is the Dharma of the Ksattriyas but they would never, never, ask any other man \u2018Give, give,\u2019 and utter these words indicative of humility O Dev\u00ee! The words \u2018I am giving you\u2019 are impressed within my heart; so I will earn money from some other source and give that to the Muni.\u201d\n19-20. The Queen said :-- \u201cO King! Time keeps some men in one and the same state; again it throws others into troubles; Time it is that gives respect to one and again it is Time that gives disrespect to others. Time it is that makes one a donor and it is the same Time that makes another a beggar. So even the Risi Vis\u2019v\u00e2mitra, learned and endowed with the strength of Tapas, becoming angry has deprived you of your kingdom and happiness and has thus done quite an irreligious act in the shape of tormenting others. You can now judge in this the wonderful workings of Time.\u201d\n21-22. The King said :-- \u201cI would rather out off my tongue into two pieces by a sharp sword than I would quit my Ksattriya pride; and I would never be able to utter the words \u2018Give, give.\u2019 O Fortunate One! I am a Ksattriya; so I never ask anything of anyone. I always say that, by the strength of my arms, I will earn money and pay off my debt.\u201d\n23-27. The Queen said :-- \u201cO King! Indra and the other Devas have given me over duly to your hands. So I am your religious (legal) wife; especially I have got education and I ought to be protected. Therefore O Luminous One! If you do not like to beg then you can sell me and pay off your Daksin\u00e2.\u201d The King Haris\u2019chandra became grieved very much to hear these words and lamented, saying, \u201cO What a painful thing is this! What a painful thing is this!\u201d His wife again spoke :-- \u201cO King! Will we, afterwards, be burnt by the fire of curse from a Br\u00e2hmin and thus lowered very much? So keep my word now. You are selling me, not because that you are infatuated with desire for gambling nor you are deprived of all knowledge by enjoyments in worldly things nor you are selling me owing to avert the danger of your kingdom. It is that you are selling me to pay off the debt to your Guru. So nothing sinful a fault will be incurred by you. So sell me and keep to Truth and the fruits thereof.\u201d\nHere ends the Twenty-First Chapter of the Seventh Book on the description of the sorrows of Haris\u2019chandra in the Mah\u00e2 Pur\u00e2nam, S'r\u00ee Mad Dev\u00ee Bh\u00e2gavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vy\u00e2sa.","title":"The Devi Bhagavatam: The Seventh Book: Chapter 21","type":"page"}