King Harishchandra was a monarch whose character is still viewed with a poignant perspective today. His hardships and sacrifices are still seen as a source of inspiration. There are many similarities between the virtues of Lord Rama and King Harishchandra. But beyond that, there was a profound connection between them. What is that connection, and what is the story of King Harishchandra? Let's find out...
King Harishchandra was not any kind of divine incarnation, but his virtues and sacrifices were no less than those of the ideal man, Lord Rama, and other incarnations. Even today, no one is considered more truthful than him. Behind this is the poignant story of his life. So, let's first learn about his story...
According to the story, one day, Sage Vishwamitra wanted to test King Harishchandra's truthfulness. He told the king that he had dreamt that the king had given all his kingdom to him. King Harishchandra, being so generous, did not object to the dream and donated his entire kingdom to him. When King Harishchandra was about to leave, Vishwamitra said that he should give some donation before departing. The king had nothing left and told this to the sage. When Vishwamitra heard this, he said that what you have given me belongs to your ancestors and was inherited by you. I am asking for a donation that belongs to you personally. Hearing this, King Harishchandra asked for some time from Vishwamitra and then, to gather money, he sold his son Rohit and his wife Tara to a Brahmin and sold himself to a Chandala (caretaker of the cremation ground) and started working for him.
He gave the donation to Vishwamitra and then began to live his days as a Chandala. One day, King Harishchandra's son died, and his wife came to the same cremation ground, where King Harishchandra worked under the Chandala, to perform their son's last rites. The queen had no money, so she asked King Harishchandra for permission to perform the last rites for free. But without a fee and without the Chandala's permission, King Harishchandra refused to allow the queen to enter the cremation ground. Even seeing his son's corpse in front of him, King Harishchandra remained steadfast in his duty.
Even after this, Vishwamitra's heart was not satisfied. He decided to test King Harishchandra again. He called King Harishchandra's wife a witch and blindfolded the king, asking him to kill her. When King Harishchandra was about to kill her, Vishwamitra stopped him and, admitting his defeat, returned the entire kingdom to King Harishchandra and revived his son.
The Connection Between King Harishchandra and Lord Rama
Many virtues within Lord Rama came from King Harishchandra, and it would be appropriate to say so because King Harishchandra was also one of his ancestors. King Harishchandra was a descendant of the Ikshvaku dynasty and an ancestor of Lord Rama. This dynasty was known for its religious adherence. King Harishchandra was the son of Satyavrata and the 36th descendant, while Lord Rama was the grandson of King Aja and the son of King Dasharatha, and the 67th descendant. King Harishchandra was born in the Satya Yuga, which is considered the age of truth.
Just as Harishchandra gave up his kingdom and put his family through hardship to fulfill the promise made to Vishwamitra, similarly, Lord Rama renounced his kingdom and accepted 14 years of exile with Mother Sita to fulfill his father Dasharatha's promise. Lord Rama was an incarnation and was born with 14 divine qualities, but Harishchandra's sacrifice as an ordinary king was extraordinary. The quality of sacrifice also came to Lord Rama from King Harishchandra. The story of King Harishchandra shows that one does not need to be a divine incarnation to walk the path of righteousness.
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