The personal information of King Harishchandra is as follows.
- Guardian (Father) - Trishanku (Hung)
- Wife - Taramati
- Children - Rohitashv
- Dynasty - Suryavansh
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Once, While Traveling to know the condition of his subjects, he reached a place where a woman was lamenting in a compassionate voice. The king asked the reason for his arrow.
He told that the reason for his sorrow was the penance of sage Vishwamitra. His mind has become restless because of the penance he was doing in that area. Prajahitashi King Harishchandra appeared before Vishwamitra and humbly prayed his not to do penance there.
As soon as he left, Vishwamitra got angry at the dissolution of his penance like this. After this he resolved to take revenge on them. Through his Yogmaya, he sent a huge boar of terrible size to create havoc in his kingdom. The boar came and destroyed all the gardens and parks of the kingdom.
It was not under the control of the soldiers. So the soldiers went to Harishchandra and told the whole situation. Harishchandra physically followed that far away by riding on the chariot. Shukra running fast took them of the forest.
The king had come a long way from the palace after following him for a long time in the forest. They had also forgotten the way. Exhausted and confused, Harishchandra sat down under a tree, worried. Disguised as an old Brahmin, Vishwamitra inquired about his condition. King Harishchandra told him the whole incident in detail.
On this Vishwamitra disguised as an old Brahmin told him: He will show him the way to reach the palace on the condition that whatever he asks for in charity, he will have to give it. Confused by Yogmaya, Harishchandra told her that he was Harishchandra, the king of Ayodhya. Come to his city and take your donation.
Gold, silver, horses, elephants and not undeserved in their possession. The old Brahmin said that he had to get his daughter and son married. So donations are needed for that. King Harishchandra said: "Take as much charity as you want." Vishwamitra said: "I will also have ot give two and a half loads of gold."
Unaware of Vishwamitra's deceitful intelligence, the king returned to the palace with the soldiers, but the lines of worry could be clearly seen on his face. He told the whole situation to his wife Taramati. Taramati told him to be worry free.
The next day the old Brahmin (Vishwamitra) arrived and said "Rajan! You have given away your entire kingdom, wealth, elephants, horses, gold etc. in charity. Now you three persons should leave this kingdom and go to the forest.
On hearing this, King Harishchandra left the Raj Bhavan wiht his wife Taramati and son Rahul. The people of Ayodhya started condemning the wicked Brahmin and said to the king: " You don't go. How will we survive without you." Vishwamitra reminded Harishchandra that he did not give two and a half loads of gold at all.
Wandering hungry and thirsty along with his wife and son, he reached the city of Kashi. Seeing the king worried about the curse of the Brahmin for not giving two and a half loads of gold so soon, Queen Taramati told him to raise this money by selling it. Hearing this, King Harishchandra fainted feeling extremely ashamed.
Meanwhile Vishwamitra arrived there. At the same moment they started demanding two and a half loads of gold. When the wife said lakhs, Harishchandra made her sit to be sold as a slave. The condition of his wife could not be seen through his eyes. Disguised as an old Brahmin, Vishwamitra expressed his desire to buy her.
A wife with thirty-two symptoms was sold to a Brahmin. As soon as he bought it, the Brahmin dragged him along with his hair. The child did not want ot take Rahul with him, but how can a son live without his mother? At the behest of Taramati, the Brahmin bought him too by paying a price.
In this purchase, the king got ten crore pieces and one crore pieces from the son. Altogether eleven crore stamps were collected. The king wanted to give it to Vishwamitra. Vishwamitra scolded him and said: "The value of your wife and son is not acceptable to me." Saying this, eleven crore gold coins were snatched from the king.
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Now the king himself was sitting ready to be sold in the market. Just then a dreadful Chandala with foul-smelling body arrived there, who was the form of Vishwamitra's Yogmaya. Chandala gave a certain amount to Vishwamitra and took the king to his home after beating him with a stick and put him in prison.
The king refused to give up food and water. Therefore, now taking care of his wife and son, he got ready for this work. Chandal took him out of the prison and sent him to the crematorium south of Kashipuri. Rotten throats, dead bodies o0f animals, birds and humans were emanating a terrible stench.
King Harishchandra's heart was filled with disgust after seeing some of the dead bodies. They were forced to live in a dark, foul-smelling place with an old groom on their body, with only a blanket to sleep on. It was his duty to collect tax and shroud from the family of the deceased and give it to his master Chandal.
In the same way, twelve months were spent in suffering equal to hundred years. Vishwamitra bit the child Rohit while playing in the garden with his Yogmaya in the form of a poisonous snake. Rohit died. When the mother got this news, she fainted and fell on the ground. The Brahmin who came to inform the queen got angry and splashed water on her.
When the queen came to her senses, Brahman said: "There is no shame in your heart. You are crying for bringing poverty and inauspiciousness in my house. I have paid the price for you. You don't go out to see your son. I have bought you by paying salary. Therefore, You do the work of the house, otherwise I will punish you with a whip.
Defeated in front of the Brahmin, the queen served the Brahmin along with doing household chores. After midnight the Brahmin said: "Now you can go to your son and come back after cremating him. "Crying queen oh son! Saying this, she reached the crematorium with the dead body of the child.
Seeing the dusty queen, the king could not recognize her. Chandal had also reached there. Seeing the condition of that woman, the king was thinking in his mind that she is definitely a beautiful woman. The light on his face is visible in this period.
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As soon as the king regained consciousness, he demanded tax from the queen for burning the dead body. Tearing half of her sari, the queen requested to accept it for the shroud while crying. The king said: "I cannot do anything without the permission of the Chandala."
The queen was anxious to burn in the pyre along with her son. The king became more sad thinking that if he would leave this body without the permission of the Chandala, then his master's religion would be dissolved.
He said to the queen: "O Taramati, you also return to the old Brahmin's house to follow the religion of your creator. Do what is your duty towards them now.
The queen said: "I will obey your orders." The king with great sorrow placed the dead body of his son Rohit on the pyre and started meditating on Jagdamba before consecrating it to the fire. Then a
miracle happened there.
Along with Indra, Ashwini Kumar, other gods and sage Vishwamitra also stood in front of king Harishchandra who was engrossed in meditation. Flowers and nectar rained from the sky and Rohit got up alive. The queen and the king hugged their son. Indra said: "King Harishchandra, now you go to heaven with your family."
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Harishchandra said: "Devraj! Chandala is my master, so I cannot go to heaven without his permission. Vishwamitra told that Chandala is only a form of his Yogmaya. The king requested to take the pious citizens of his kingdom to Sri Swarg.
Indra accepted the prayer by saying that it will happen. The king coronated his son Rohit. After this, Rohit followed Rajdharma like his father and in course of time he too became entitled to heaven.
टिप्पणियाँ