SB 9.16.31 — FolioCorpus

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.16.31

यो वै हरिश्चन्द्रमखे विक्रीत: पुरुष: पशु: । स्तुत्वा देवान् प्रजेशादीन् मुमुचे पाशबन्धनात् ॥ ३१ ॥

yo vai hariścandra-makhe

[yo vai harishchandra-makhe]

vikrītaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ

[vikreetah purushah pashuh]

stutvā devān prajeśādīn

[stutvaa devaan prajeshaadeen]

mumuce pāśa-bandhanāt

[mumuche paasha-bandhanaat]

Word-for-word

yaḥ — he who (Śunaḥśepha) vai — indeed hariścandra-makhe — in the sacrifice performed by King Hariścandra vikrītaḥ — was sold puruṣaḥ — man paśuḥ — sacrificial animal stutvā — offering prayers devān — to the demigods prajā-īśa-ādīn — headed by Lord Brahmā mumuce — was released pāśa-bandhanāt — from being bound with ropes like an animal.

Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)

yo vai hariścandra-makhe

yaḥ

he who (Śunaḥśepha)

vai

indeed

hariścandra-makhe

in the sacrifice performed by King Hariścandra

vikrītaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ

vikrītaḥ

was sold

puruṣaḥ

man

paśuḥ

sacrificial animal

stutvā devān prajeśādīn

stutvā

offering prayers

devān

to the demigods

prajā-īśa-ādīn

headed by Lord Brahmā

mumuce pāśa-bandhanāt

mumuce

was released

pāśa-bandhanāt

from being bound with ropes like an animal.

Śunaḥśepha’s father sold Śunaḥśepha to be sacrificed as a man-animal in the yajña of King Hariścandra. When Śunaḥśepha was brought into the sacrificial arena, he prayed to the demigods for release and was released by their mercy.

Purport

Here is a description of Śunaḥśepha. When Hariścandra was to sacrifice his son Rohita, Rohita arranged to save his own life by purchasing Śunaḥśepha from Śunaḥśepha’s father to be sacrificed in the yajña. Śunaḥśepha was sold to Mahārāja Hariścandra because he was the middle son, between the oldest and the youngest. It appears that the sacrifice of a man as an animal in yajña has been practiced for a very long time.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

Gauḍīya Ācāryas

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya

Translation

Śunaḥśepha was sold by his father to be sacrificed as a man-animal in the sacrifice of King Hariścandra. Śunaḥśepha prayed to the devatās headed by Brahmā, and was freed from being sacrificed. Who was Śunaśepha? That is described in this verse. At the sacrifice performed by Hariścandra, Rohita, who was supposed to be the son to be sacrificed, bought the middle son of Ajīgarta named Śunaḥśepha as the sacrificial animal, since the father Ajīgarta had more affection for his eldest and youngest sons. Śunaḥśepha praised the devatās and became free from the bondage of being an animal.

Personal Guidance

Śunaḥśepha was once sold by his own father to be sacrificed; only the demigods' mercy preserved him. Some souls' biographies begin with shocking betrayal — and the Lord still places them in noble families.

Reflection Questions

Whose shocking origin story have I dismissed instead of honoring as redemption?
Where am I judging someone by where they began rather than by where they have been placed?

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io