Story of Harishchandra - as told in The Markandeya Purana

 

I had shared the story of Harishchandra as told in the Ramayana of Krittibas. I had shared a few lines there, as to how that tale differs from the one stated in the Markandeya Purana.
In this post, I am sharing the tale as told in the Markandeya Purana.

The story of Harishchandra – as told in Markandeya Purana.

Harishchandra is on a hunting expedition. He is drawn towards the cries of women begging for protection. These women are personified sciences, embodiments of various fields of knowledge. At that moment, Rishi Vishwamitra was engaged in intense austerities   to master these sciences. The sciences, feeling oppressed by the sage's immense spiritual heat and disciplined will, were screaming in fear of being subdued.   

Harishchandra is furious, and he rushes to the scene, shouting "Don’t be afraid!". Harishchandra unwittingly interrupts Vishwamitra's meditation, causing the Rishi's accumulated merit and the knowledge he had almost gained to vanish instantly.   

When the King realizes his error, he is terrified but remains firm in his duty, explaining that his intervention was governed by dharma—the duty of a king to protect his subjects and women from harm. Vishwamitra, seizing upon this justification, challenges the King: if he is so devoted to his duty, he must also fulfil the obligations of a donor. Harishchandra agrees to give the sage whatever he desires, which leads to the demand for his entire kingdom, treasury, and army.   

In an act of supreme renunciation, Harishchandra hands over the entire earth to Vishwamitra, stripping himself of all royal power and possessions. He is left with only his wife, Shaibya, and his son, Rohitasva. However, Vishwamitra raises a technicality: a king who makes a donation must also pay a Dakshina (ritual fee) to the Brahmana. Having already donated "everything," Harishchandra technically has nothing left to pay this separate ritual debt.   

Vishwamitra grants the King one month to acquire the gold for the Dakshina. During this month, Harishchandra must live as a commoner outside the boundaries of his former kingdom. As he departs, the subjects of Ayodhya follow him, lamenting their loss. Vishwamitra, observing this, begins to curse and beat the Queen with a stick to force the family to move faster, ensuring they leave the territory immediately. This cruelty causes the five Visva-devas (guardians of the directions) to protest; Vishwamitra responds by cursing them to be born as the five sons of the Pandavas and Draupadi, destined to die young.   

The family eventually reaches the holy city of Varanasi (Kashi). However, as the one-month deadline expires, Vishwamitra appears again to demand his gold.   

Queen Shaibya, seeing her husband's distress, suggests that she be sold into slavery first. The King auctions his own wife to an aged Brahmana who requires a servant. When Rohitasva refuses to leave his mother's side, weeping and clutching her garment, the Brahmana pays a further sum to purchase the boy as well. The proceeds are given to Vishwamitra, but the sage declares the amount insufficient, driving Harishchandra to the final extremity.   

 

Harishchandra, desperate to fulfil his vow before sunset, offers himself for sale. A Chandala named Pravira, who is actually Dharmaraja in disguise, buys the King. Vishwamitra facilitates the transaction, forcing the King of the Solar Dynasty to become the servant of an untouchable.   

The King is tasked with:   

1. Keeping watch over the funeral pyres day and night.   
2. Collecting a fee for every corpse cremated.   
3. Stripping the garments from the dead as part of his master’s remuneration.   

Living among the ashes of the dead, Harishchandra undergoes a physical transformation, becoming unkempt, gaunt, and nearly unrecognizable. He reflects on his past lives, interpreting his current misery as the fruit of past sins, and persists in his loyalty to his master and his duty.   

While Harishchandra labours at the ghat, his son Rohitasva is bitten by a snake while gathering flowers for the Brahmana’s worship, and dies. Queen Shaibya, now a wretched servant, carries the boy's body to the cremation ground at night. Initially, in the darkness and through their mutual grime and sorrow, the husband and wife do not recognize each other.   

When Harishchandra approaches her to collect the cremation fee, she wails the name of the boy and his royal lineage. Upon recognition, the couple is devastated. Harishchandra, seeing his heir dead and his queen in rags, contemplates ending his own life on the pyre.   

As the pyre is about to be lit, the gods, led by Indra and Dharmaraja, appear. The Chandala reveals himself to be Dharmaraja, and Vishwamitra acknowledges that Harishchandra has passed the ultimate test of virtue. Indra revives Rohitasva.   

Indra invites the King to enter Heaven (Swarga). However, Harishchandra exhibits one last act of righteousness. He refuses to go to Heaven without his subjects, stating that abandoning the loyal citizens of Ayodhya who suffered due to his absence would be a sin. Indra, taken aback by this exceptional display of compassion, agrees to allow the entire population of Ayodhya to ascend to Heaven with the King by sharing their collective merits for a single day.