Page 137 - Moral Stories Vol 6

Once there was a great king named Harishchandra who never lied and always kept his promise. He was the ruler of Ayodhya. He ruled his Kingdom wisely. His subjects1 were happy and prosperous2. He was well-known for his truthfulness. The gods decided to
test him. They asked Sage Vishwamitra to help them.
One day, Harishchandra went hunting in the forest. Suddenly, he heard the cries of a woman. As he went to help her, he entered the ashram of Vishwamitra. Vishwamitra’s meditation was disturbed and he became angry. To calm his anger Harishchandra promised to donate his kingdom to Vishwamitra. Vishwamitra accepted his donation but also demanded dakshina (fees) to make the act of donation successful. Harishchandra, who had donated his whole kingdom, had nothing to give as dakshina. He asked Vishwamitra to wait for one month before he paid it.
A man true to his word, Harishchandra left his kingdom and went to Kashi along with his wife, Shaivya, and son, Rohitashwa. In Kashi, he could not earn anything. The period of one month was about to end. His wife requested him to sell her as a slave to get the money.
Harishchandra sold Shaivya to a Brahmin. As she was about to leave with the Brahmin her son began to cry. Harishchandra requested the Brahmin to buy Rohitashwa also. The Brahmin agreed. But the money was not enough to pay the dakshina and so Harishchandra sold himself as a slave to a chandala (a person who works in a cremation ground). He paid Vishwamitra, and started working in the cremation ground.
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