cheat his master of his rightful income.
Chandramati has no money for the
fee, and after listening to her lamenta-
tions Harishchandra recognizes her
and becomes doubly miserable. The
couple finally decides that suicideis
their only escape from their misery
and make a pyre on which to burn
themselves. When Harishchandra is
about to light the pyre, the gods
appear before them, praising his right-
eousness and his commitment to his
word, and Harishchandra’s outcast
master is revealed as dharma(“right-
eousness”) incarnate. Harishchandra’s
son is restored to life, his kingdom is
restored back to him, and everyone
lives happily ever after.
Harivamsh
(d. 1552) Poet, singer, and founder of the
Radhavallabh religious community,
which is based on the figure of Radha.
Initially portrayed as the god Krishna’s
human consort, she was later consid-
ered his adulterous mistress. The
Radhavallabh community took a very
different perspective, stressing Radha’s
nature as a deity, her equality and iden-
tity with Krishna, and her status as his
lawful wife. The Radhavallabhs focused
on the love (hit) of Radha for Krishna,
and because of this emphasis the poet is
also known as “Hit Harivamsh.”
Harivamsh’s poetry treats many of
the traditional themes found in Krishna
devotionalism, but from the perspec-
tive of a female companion (sakhi). He
compiled a collection of eighty-four
poems known as the Hit-chaurasi,
which are notable both for their highly
Sanskritized language and for their
incorporation of the alamkara(“poetic
ornamentation”) tradition of earlier
Sanskritpoetry. For further information
see Charles S. J. White, The Caurasi Pad
of Sri Hit Harivams, 1977.
Harivamsha
(“lineage of Hari”) A text traditionally
considered to be an appendix to the
Mahabharata, the later of the two great
Hindu epics. The Harivamshais one of
the important puranas, which describe
the mythology of the Hindu deities, as
well as many other facets of popular
Hindu life.
In particular, the Harivamsha is
devoted to the mythology of the god
Krishna(also known as Hari). It is espe-
cially important for the traditional sto-
ries connected with Krishna’s childhood
in the Brajregion, for which it is the ear-
liest identifiable source. The episodes
described in the Harivamshaare further
developed in the Bhagavata Purana, a
later work that is considered the most
influential text for the cult of Krishna.Harsha
(r. 606–647) Ruler in the Pushyabhuti
line, a dynasty whose capital was the
city of Kanyakubja in eastern Uttar
Pradesh. Harsha is generally considered
the greatest Pushyabhuti ruler; he con-
trolled a large part of northern India and
to some extent restored the glory of the
Gupta dynasty(350–550).
Historically, Harsha’s reign is well-
documented, in part by the Chinese pil-
grim Hsuan Tsang, whose account gives
invaluable information about Indian life
at that time. Harsha was an able and
energetic ruler who spent much of his
later life evaluating the condition of his
empire. He was also a cultured and lit-
erate man—he was the author of three
Sanskrit plays—whose court was
graced by significant literary figures,
especially the playwright Bana. After
his death, his kingdom quickly disinte-
grated when he died without an heir.
See also Pushyabhuti dynasty.Harshacharita
(“The Deeds of Harsha”) A drama writ-
ten by the playwright Bana (7th c.),
which chronicles the emperor Harsha’s
rise to power. Bana was a member of
Harsha’s court, and thus a contempo-
rary; his tale contains some evident
exaggeration, but also a great deal ofHarivamsh