Study a Verse

• It appears that in those days a man could be purchased for any purpose.
• Hariścandra was in need of a person to sacrifice as the animal in a yajña and thus fulfill his promise to Varuṇa, and a man was purchased from another man for this purpose.
• Millions of years ago, animal sacrifice and slave trade both existed.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Attachment and struggle → Renunciation and responsibility. Multiple royal lives reveal the cost of choices.

Chapters 6–9 of Canto 9: Saubhari, Sagara and Bhagīratha's lineage. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 7: The Descendants of King Māndhātā

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Rohita purchased Śunaḥśepha, the second son of Ajīgarta, and gave him to his father, Hariścandra, as the sacrificial animal. In this way, the sacrifice was performed, Varuṇa and the other demigods were pacified, and Hariścandra was freed from disease.