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.

The Raja again and again implores him thus:—­

“My lord Kausika!  Forgive me.  I was touched by the piteous appeals of the women and disturbed you for the sake of duty.”

At this, the sage becomes still more furious and says trembling, “O Villain! speak of duty!  What is your duty?”

The king replies,

“O god! gifts to virtuous Brahmans, protection of those afflicted with fear, and fight with enemies are the three chief duties of Kshattriyas.”