{"collection":"Hinduism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/hin/db/bk07ch22.htm","path":"hin/db/bk07ch22.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk07ch22.htm","text":"THE SEVENTH BOOK\nChapter XXII\nOn the selling of Haris\u2019chandra\u2019s wife\n1-6. Vy\u00e2sa said :-- O King! When the Queen Madhav\u00ee requested repeatedly the King, He said :-- \u201cO Good Auspicious One! When you have not met with any scruple to utter clearly these harsh and cruel words, I will do that act now which the most ruthless persons do not dare to do.\u201d Saying this, the King went with his wife, very distressed, to the city. Placing her on the public road, the King cried out in a voice choked with feelings and eyes full of tears :-- \u201cO Citizens! Hear you all. Do any one of you require any maidservant? This lady is dearer to me than my life. If any of you be able to offer price of her as I will declare, then let him give it out quickly.\u201d The Pundits then said :-- \u201cWho are you? Why are you come here to sell your wife?\u201d\n7. The King said :-- \u201cAre you asking me of my introduction? Hear then; I am a heartless brute and not fit to be called a man; or I am a R\u00e2ksasa; nay, I am more than that; I am prepared to do this sinful act.\u201d\n8-11. Vy\u00e2sa said :-- O King! Hearing this, Kaus\u2019ika suddenly assumed the form of an old man and came out and spoke to Haris\u2019chandra :-- I am master of boundless wealth; so I am able to give you the money you want; I am ready to purchase the maidservant by giving an equivalent wealth. Better give me the maidservant. My wife is exceedingly delicate; she is unable to do all the household work; so let me have the maid. But say quickly what value am I to pay? When the Br\u00e2hmin spoke this, Haris\u2019chandra felt his heart, as it were, torn asunder; so he could not for the moment speak anything.\n12-15. The Br\u00e2hmana said :-- Take an equivalent amount of money according to the age, beauty, qualifications and capabilities of your wife and hand her over to me. Hear about the prices of the male and female servants as written in the Dharma S\u2019\u00e2stras :-- The price of a female servant clever, good, well-qualified and possessing thirty-two auspicious qualities is one Koti gold mohurs; and the male servant similarly qualified fetches one Arbuda gold mohurs. Haris\u2019chandra became very much pained to hear the Br\u00e2hmin speaking thus; but he could not say anything. The Br\u00e2hmin then placed in front of the King the money over a bark and caught hold of the hair of the Queen and was ready to drag Her.\n16-21. The Queen said :-- \u201cO \u00c2rya! Let me see once the lotus-face of my son; leave me once. O Br\u00e2hmin! Please see that it will be hard for me again to see this boy. O Son! Behold! Your mother is now a slave. So, O Prince, do not touch me. I am not fit now to be touched by you.\u201d The boy, then, seeing the mother suddenly snatched away, cried out, \u201cO Mother! O Mother!\u201d and followed her with tears in his eyes. That boy tumbled at every step still he caught hold of the mother\u2019s clothing by his hand and began to accompany her. The Br\u00e2hmin, seeing this behaviour of the boy, became impatient with anger and began to beat him. Still the boy wept, saying, \u201cMother! Mother!\u201d and never quitted the hold of his mother. The Queen said :-- \u201cO Lord! Have mercy on me and purchase this boy also. Though you are purchasing me, yet without this boy I will not be able to do your work. My fate is bad; therefore this calamity has happened. Shew this favour to me.\u201d\n22-24. The Br\u00e2hmin said :-- Take this money and give me the boy too. For the Wise in the Dharma S\u2019\u00e2stras fix such to be the prices of a female and a male. The other Pundits make differences in the prices, e.g., one hundred, one thousand, one lakh, one crore and so on, according to the different qualifications. But for the female, who is skilled in all actions, modest, of good behaviour, and well qualified and, on whose body the thirty-two auspicious signs are seen, her price is one Koti gold mohurs and for a man qualified, one Arbuda gold mohurs.\n25-35. S\u00fbta said :-- O King! The Br\u00e2hmin then gave over the price of the boy as decided, in gold mohurs in front of the King over a bark and then tied both the mother and son. He, then, gladly and without any delay, carried them to his home. At the time of departure, the Queen circumambulated the King and, kneeling down, bowed down to him and, in that state of humility, began to speak :-- If ever I have done any charities, if ever I have poured oblations on the Fire, if ever I have satisfied the Br\u00e2hmins, then, by that virtue, Haris\u2019chandra will again be my husband. Seeing his wife, dearer then his life, fallen on his feet, the King became very distracted and lamented, crying, \u201cAlas! Alas! The shadow of a tree never leaves the tree; but you being verily modest and endowed with all qualifications, are now separated from me.\u201d Speaking thus reasonably with his wife, the King said to his son :-- \u201cO Child! Where will you go, leaving me here? Where shall I go now? and who will stop my miseries?\u201d The King, then, spoke to the Br\u00e2hmin :-- \u201cO Br\u00e2hmin! The pain that I experience in the separation from my son, I did not feel on the occasion of quitting my kingdom or on my being exiled in a forest.\nO Auspicious One! The husband, good natured in this world, nourishes always his wife and keeps her always in comfort and happiness. But I am such a bad husband of yours, as I have left you and made you float in the sea of sorrows. Born in the Iks\u00e2ku family, I inherited the kingdom and its pleasures; but, Alas! Your getting such a husband has now been reduced to slavery! O Dev\u00ee! I am merged in this ocean of sorrows and troubles. Who will rescue me, by narrating this story of the Pur\u00e2nas!\u201d\n36-40. S\u00fbta said :-- O King! The Br\u00e2hmin, then, began to take away the queen and the boy, whipping them, in the face of the King. Seeing his wife and son being dragged away in that state, the King\u2019s pain knew no bounds and be frequently sighed and sighed and bitterly wept aloud. Alas! My dear wife, whom the Moon, the Sun, Wind or any other body could not see ere this, has become now reduced to slavery today! Oh! How beautiful and gentle are the fingers of my child? He has been sold off today, being born in the Solar Dynasty? Alas! Fie on my foolish understanding! Oh my Dear! Oh my child Rohit\u00e2s\u2019va! Your this wretched condition is due to my An\u00e2rya irrespectable bad maxims! Oh! Through the mockery of the Daiva, I have got this distress! Fie on Me!\n41-42 Vy\u00e2sa said :-- The King was lamenting thus when the Br\u00e2hmin disappeared with them, in the very tall trees and walls of palatial buildings. At this time the cruel fiendish Muni, endowed with great power of asceticism came there quickly, accompanied by his disciples.\n43. Vis\u2019v\u00e2mitra said :-- \u201cO One of mighty arm! If you think it your duty to respect Truth, then pay me the Daksin\u00e2 of R\u00e2jas\u00fbya sacrifice that you promised before.\u201d\n44. Haris\u2019chandra said :-- \u201cO R\u00e2jarsi! I bow down to Thee. O Sinless One! Now take the Daksin\u00e2 of the R\u00e2jas\u00fbya Sacrifice that I promised to pay you before.\u201d\n45. Vis\u2019v\u00e2mitra said :-- \u201cO King! Whence have you collected these gold Mohurs that you are now paying me as my Daksin\u00e2. How have you earned this? Say.\u201d\n46. Haris\u2019chandra said :-- \u201cO Dv\u00eeja! O Sinless One! What use is there in telling this to you. It will increase agony by hearing. O One of good vows!\u201d\n47. Vis\u2019v\u00e2mitra said :-- \u201cI won\u2019t accept money earned not rightly.\nGive what you have acquired by rightful means. Say truly how you have acquired it.\u201d\n48. Haris\u2019chandra spoke :-- \u201cO Br\u00e2hmin! I have sold my wife the Dev\u00ee Madhav\u00ee for one Koti Gold Mohurs and my son for ten Kotis of gold Mohurs. So take this eleven Koti Gold Mohurs from me.\u201d\n49. S\u00fbta said :-- Seeing the gold collected out of the sale of wife and son very small, and seeing the King overpowered with pain and sorrow, Kaus\u2019ika angrily spoke :--\n50-52. O King! The Daksin\u00e2 of the R\u00e2jas\u00fbya Sacrifice cannot be so small; so collect quickly other money to complete it. O Vilest of Ksattriyas! If you think this much to be proper for me, see first the enormous power of mine that I possess of my tapasy\u00e2, practised duly, of my pure Br\u00e2hmanyahood, of my violent power and of my chaste study and then you can pay my Daksin\u00e2.\n53. Haris\u2019chandra said :-- \u201cO Bhagav\u00e2n! I have sold just now my wife; and so wait for some time and I will collect more gold and will pay that to you.\u201d\n54. Vis\u2019v\u00e2mitra said :-- \u201cO King! The fourth part of the day is now remaining; I will wait till then. After this you won\u2019t expect any other reply from me.\u201d\nHere ends the Twenty second Chapter of the Seventh Book on the selling of Haris\u2019chandra\u2019s wife in the Mah\u00e2pur\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 22","type":"page"}