Maharaja Harischandra, a scion of the solar race, a powerful king,
endowed with uncommon virtues and skilled in all arts, sees a vision of
misfortune to come. Apprehending future evils for his subjects, he
confers with his priest, and acting on his advice, spends a whole night
in religious contemplation in a temple of God. Next morning the king
enters the inner apartments of his palace to greet his wife. The queen,
who is jealous on account of his absence during the night, says to him,
"Oh! I see your eyes are red for want of sleep. The sight is not
uninteresting; only, I am being consumed with the fires of agony of
mind." The king, on hearing this, smiles and says, "Oh my dear queen! do
not be angry. Be assured, you have no rival in Harischandra's
affections".
The queen is not altogether satisfied with this assurance, for love is
suspicious. Just then, a messenger comes to request permission to bring
in a hermit who is standing at the door. The permission is granted and
the hermit enters. Addressing the King, he says, "The family priest has
sent you some holy water, which will bring you peace of mind and ward
off the evils for fear of which he made you keep up a whole night." The
king and the queen thankfully accept the water. The hermit retires. The
queen, now learning from the hermit the cause of her husband's absence
from her, and of his wakefulness all night, becomes ashamed of herself
and asks her lord's pardon for the false insinuation she had made. On
this he kisses the queen.
Again, the king goes on a hunting expedition. Hunting is a favourite
pastime with kings. It promotes health and courage and gives immense
pleasure to all who engage in it. When the king enters a thick forest,
he finds the great sage Viswamitra deeply engaged in religious
austerities with the view of acquiring the three unattainable arts of
creation, preservation and destruction, which properly belong to Brahma,
Vishnu and Siva respectively. The gods plot to prevent this
consummation, and send a servant named Bighna. Bighna assumes the form
of a boar and appears before the king. The king discharges an arrow at
him, but in vain. The animal enters the thick forest. The king follows.
It now enters the hermitage of Viswamitra. The king addresses his
followers thus, "It is the duty of kings to get rid of carnivorous
animals from the forest of meditation and austerities. I have, on the
contrary, made a carnivorous animal enter it. How can I now retire? But
the hermits will be disturbed in their religious exercises if you all
enter. So, do you all wait here. I will proceed alone." With these
observations, the king enters the forest of meditation and is charmed
with its exquisite beauty.
The king thinks, "Tearing off the bonds of the world is the cause of
hermits' ease and happiness. With no attachments, no desires, no
bereavements, no worldly anxieties, they are happily absorbed in divine
contemplation." The king is thinking thus when distant cries are heard,
as if females are crying out, "Maharaja Harischandra! save us! save us!
Save us from the fire-place of this mighty hermit. We three helpless
women are being burnt up."
At this, the king is at a loss. His heart melts at the tender cries of
the women. He extinguishes the flame with his weapon dedicated to
Varuna, the god of the waters.
The three ladies are the three arts of creation, preservation and
destruction. They, thus delivered, go away to Heaven, showering
blessings of victory on their deliverer.
The meditations of the dreadful sage Viswamitra are thus broken off. His
eyes are red with anger. Seeing Harischandra standing before him he
cries out, "Oh wretch of a Kshattriya! I will burn you up as Siva did
the god of love."
The king is at a loss. He trembles as a plantain tree tossed up by
tempest. He touches the feet of the sage and most piteously begs pardon
of him.
But the sage is obdurate. He will not be appeased. He is about to
consume the offender with imprecation.