Harishchandra

In Hindu mythology, a king who is
famous for his truthfulness and integrity.
In modern Hindu culture, he has
become the symbol for someone who
patiently endures undeserved suffering.
Harishchandra’s suffering is a result
of the long-standing feud between the
sages Vasishtha—his family priest—and
Vishvamitra. When Vasishtha praises
the virtue of Harishchandra, Vishvamitra
becomes determined to prove him
wrong. Disguised as an old brahmin,
Vishvamitra conjures up an imaginary
son using his magical powers and gets
Harishchandra to promise that he will
give whatever is necessary for the
boy’s wedding.
When the time comes to redeem
this promise, Vishvamitra demands
Harishchandra’s kingdom. Vishvamitra
expects that the king will balk at this
demand, but Harishchandra immediately fulfills it. Vishvamitra then
remarks that when giving a gift to a
brahmin it is customary to give a gift of
money (dakshina) and demands a
large sum. To raise this amount,
Harishchandra first sells his wife
(Chandramati) and son into slavery
and finally sells himself to an outcast,
who puts him to work burning bodies
at the cremation ground.
After enduring these miseries for
some time, Harishchandra’s son is
bitten by a snake and dies. When
Chandramati brings the body to be
burned, he does not recognize her. He
refuses to cremate the boy until the
cremation fee is paid, since this will
275
Harishchandra
cheat his master of his rightful income.
Chandramati has no money for the
fee, and after listening to her lamentations Harishchandra recognizes her
and becomes doubly miserable. The
couple finally decides that suicide is
their only escape from their misery
and make a pyre on which to burn
themselves. When Harishchandra is
about to light the pyre, the gods
appear before them, praising his righteousness and his commitment to his
word, and Harishchandra’s outcast
master is revealed as dharma (“righteousness”) incarnate. Harishchandra’s
son is restored to life, his kingdom is
restored back to him, and everyone
lives happily ever after.