हरिश्चन्द्र

{ hariścandrḥ, hariścandra }

Puranic Encyclopaedia

An emperor of ancient times, to whom Brahmā gave as a gift a palace which automatically produced everything desired by its owner. He was lord over the seven islands. About his former birth and the plenitude of his riches the Padma Purāṇa (Uttara khaṇḍa, Chapter 32) has the following story to say:- Hariścandra himself was surprised that he became so very rich in the matter of children and of wealth. Wondering what actions of his entitled him to so much wealth and to his position which was equal to Indra's the emperor went to Sumeru by vimāna where he questioned Sanatkumāra, a brahminical sage seated in meditation on a golden stone as to who he was in his past life and to which actions of his past life he owed all the present wealth and prosperity. The great sage replied as follows:- “In the past birth you were a truthful and purehearted vaiśya; you gave up your own profession and so you were ousted from home by your own people. At that time a famine and other scarcity conditions occurred there. One day you got into a pond along with your wife, collected lotus flowers from it and went to Kāśī to sell the flowers. But, no one purchased the flowers. At last, Candramatī, daughter of Indradyumna purchased the flowers for a yajña she was performing. When you saw Viṣṇu installed along with Ādityabhagavān (Sun-God) and worshipped with flowers, feelings of devotion swept your mind and you too worshipped the idols with lotus flowers. You enjoy today the fruits of that action in the past life. (It is not quite definite whether Hariścandra I and II are one and the same person).
HARIŚCANDRA I   A King of the solar dynasty very much reputed for his unique truthfulness and integrity. He was the son of the famous Triśaṅku.
1) Genealogy.
See under Triśaṅku.
2) A brief life-sketch.
To keep his plighted word and for the sake of truth he gifted away the whole of his kingdom to Viśvāmitra. When that was not sufficient he cleared his debts to Viśvāmitra with the money got by selling his wife, Candramatī, his son, Lohitāśva and finally himself. And, he earned his livelihood with the wages he got for cremating corpses, himself doing duties as guard at a burning ghat and as the slave to a Cāṇḍāla. Ultimately the Trimūrtis (Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva) appeared and heaped on him all the boons he desired and rewarded him with high honours. (See for details para 4 under Viśvāmitra).
HARIŚCANDRA III   A Sanskrit poet who lived in the 9th century A.D. The mahākāvya called “Dharma- śarmābhyudaya” is his main work. This mahākāvya comprises of 21 contos. He has composed another work called “Jīvandharacampū”.

हिन्दी (hindi) WN

noun  सूर्यवंश के एक सत्यवादी राजा   Ex. हरिश्चन्द्र आजीवन सत्य पर टिके रहे ।

ONTOLOGY:

पौराणिक जीव (Mythological Character) ➜ जन्तु (Fauna) ➜ सजीव (Animate) ➜ संज्ञा (Noun)

SYNONYM:

राजा हरिश्चन्द्र हरिश्चंद्र हरिचंद राजा हरिश्चंद्र वैधस

Wordnet:

ben হরিশচন্দ্র

guj હરિશ્ચંદ્ર

kan ಹರಿಚಂದ್ರ ಮಹಾರಾಜ

kas ہَرِشوَردَن

kok हरिश्चन्द्र

mal ഹരിശ്ചന്ദ്രന്

mar हरिश्चंद्र

ori ରାଜା ହରିଶ୍ଚନ୍ଦ୍ର

san हरिश्चन्द्रः

tam ஹரிசந்திரன்

tel హరిశ్చంద్రుడు

urd ہریش چندر

कोंकणी (Konkani) WN

noun  सूर्यवंशाचो एक सत्यवादी राजा   Ex. हरिश्चन्द्र जिवीतभर खरेंच उलयत रावलो

ONTOLOGY:

पौराणिक जीव (Mythological Character) ➜ जन्तु (Fauna) ➜ सजीव (Animate) ➜ संज्ञा (Noun)

Wordnet:

ben হরিশচন্দ্র

guj હરિશ્ચંદ્ર

hin हरिश्चन्द्र

kan ಹರಿಚಂದ್ರ ಮಹಾರಾಜ

kas ہَرِشوَردَن

mal ഹരിശ്ചന്ദ്രന്

mar हरिश्चंद्र

ori ରାଜା ହରିଶ୍ଚନ୍ଦ୍ର

san हरिश्चन्द्रः

tam ஹரிசந்திரன்

tel హరిశ్చంద్రుడు

urd ہریش چندر

A Sanskrit English Dictionary

हरि—श्चन्द्र  mfn.  mfn. (See चन्द्र) having golden splendour, [RV.]

ROOTS:

हरि श्चन्द्र

हरि—श्चन्द्र  m.  m. N. of the 28th king of the solar dynasty in the त्रेता age (he was son of त्रि-शङ्कु, and was celebrated for his piety; accord. to the मार्कण्डेय-पुराण he gave up his country, his wife and his son, and finally himself, to satisfy the demands of विश्वामित्र; after enduring incredible sufferings, he won the pity of the gods and was raised with his subjects to heaven : accord. to [MBh. ii, 489 &c.], his performance of the राज-सूय sacrifice was the cause of his elevation, and in the ऐतरेय-ब्राह्मण quite another legend is told about him See under शुनःशेप, p. 1082, col. 3 : in later legends हरि-श्चन्द्र is represented as insidiously induced by नारद to relate his actions with unbecoming pride, whereupon he was degraded from स्वर्ग, one stage at each sentence, till stopping in time and doing homage to the gods he was fixed with his capital in mid-air ; his aerial city is popularly believed to be still visible in the skies at particular times; cf. सौभ), [Br.]; [MaitrUp.]; [MBh.] &c.

ROOTS:

हरि श्चन्द्र

N. of various authors &c., [Inscr.]; [Cat.]
हरि—श्चन्द्र  mn.  mn. (?) N. of a place, [Cat.]

ROOTS:

हरि श्चन्द्र

हरि—श्चन्द्र  n.  n. N. of a लिङ्ग, [MW.]

ROOTS:

हरि श्चन्द्र

The Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

हरिश्चन्द्रः [hariścandrḥ]  N. N. of a king of the solar dynasty. [He was the son of Triśaṅku and was famous for his liberality, probity, and unflinching adherence to truth. On one occasion his family-priest Vasiṣṭha commended his qualities in the presence of Viśvāmitra, who refused to believe them. A quarrel thereupon ensued, and it was at last decided that Viśvāmitra should himself test the king. The sage accordingly subjected him to the most crucial test with a view to see if he could not be but once made to swerve from his plighted word. The king, however, stood the test with exemplary courage, adhering to his word though he had to forego the kingdom, to sell off his wife and son, and at last, even his own self to a low-caste man, and-as the last test, as it were, of his truthfulness and courageto be even ready to put his own wife to death as a witch! Viśāmitra thereupon acknowledged himself vanquished, and the worthy king was elevated along with his subjects to heaven.]

Shabda-Sagara

हरिश्चन्द्र  m.  ( -न्द्रः) A sovereign, the twenty-eighth of the solar dynasty in the second age, celebrated for his piety and liberality, and who on those accounts was elevated, together with his subjects, to heaven: having been insidiously induced by NĀRADA, to relate his actions with unbecoming pride, he descended from Swarga, a stage at each sentence, trll stopping in time, and doing homage to the gods, he was fixed with his capital in mid-air.
E. हरि VISHṆU, चन्द्र the moon.

ROOTS:

हरि चन्द्र