Story of Harishchandra in English For Kids

The story of Harishchandra is a very popular story based on Indian mythology. It revolves around the great king Satyavadi Harishchandra of Ayodhya, who was known for his truthfulness and love toward his subjects. Therefore a very renowned sage decided to test the king and his qualities. The story shows the struggles faced by the king and how he faced them strongly along with his family. Satyavadi Harishchandra's story is the best example to teach the importance of being honest and truthful.

The Origin of the Satyavadi Harishchandra Story

Satyavadi Harishchandra was a very brave and legendary ruler who belonged to the solar family. Which means he belonged to the lineage of god Ram. The Father of Raja Harishchandra, Jayachandra was also a well-known ruler of Ayodhya.  Satyavadi Harishchandra's story is a very popular and age-old fable. The existence of this story can be traced to Aitareya Brahmana, Mahabharata, Devi Bhagavata Purana, Markandeya Purana, and other historical books. These books also contain many other legends related to king Harishchandra and his adventures.

Satyavadi Harishchandra Story

Once upon a time, there was a very brave king called Harishchandra of Ayodhya. The king was known for his truthfulness and caring behavior. Under his rule, all of his subjects were extremely happy and satisfied with the king. The kingdom was very prosperous and developed. Once all the gods decided to test the king, so they requested Viswamitra sage to help them. One fine day the king went hunting in the forest nearby, where he suddenly heard a scream of a woman. The king immediately went to help the women and ran into Vishwamitra's ashram. This disturbed the sage's meditation and he turned red in anger. To cool down the sage's anger, Harishchandra said that he would donate his whole kingdom to Vishwamitra. The sage agreed and asked for some Dakshina ( fees) before leaving. The king who gave away his whole kingdom had no possessions left to give. The king begged Vishwamitra to provide him one month's time to earn something. The king left the kingdom along with his family and went to Kashi. The wife of Satyavadi harishchandra was Shaivya and raja Harishchandra's son's name was Rohitashwa. The king tried a lot but was unable to find any job in Kashi. Later on his wife's request, Harishchandra heavy-heartedly sold his son and wife to a brain for money. The money was still not enough, so he sold himself to a chandala ( One who works in a cremation ground), and began working in the cremation ground. The king's wife and son used to work hard every day under the brahmin who used to trouble them a lot. One day while plucking flowers and fruits from the garden Rohitashwa got bitten by a snake and he died at the stop. Shiva took her son's body to the cremation ground and met her husband king Harishchandra. The king was devastated to see his only son Rohitashwa's dead body. Harishchandra then asked for tax in order to perform cremation even after knowing that her wife has nothing to offer, as he was bound to his duties. Shiva replied, " I don't own even a single penny, the only thing I had was my son who is no more. My only possession is this old saree that I am wearing right now". The king accepted to take the piece of cloth as a tax. When Shivaya was about to tear her saree suddenly, all the gods along with Vishnu appeared. Even the chandala showed his real form as Yama (God of death) and brought Rohitashwa back to life. The gods then told the family that all of this from the beginning was their plan to test them. And they have successfully cleared the test and showed great virtue and bravery. Indra then offered the king to join him in heaven, but the king denied it. Harishchandra requested Vishnu to take all his subjects to heaven too. Vishnu pointed out that it is not possible as heaven is offered to a person on the basis of his deeds. The generous king decided to grant his virtues to his subject and bare the sins in return. All the gods were extremely impressed with the king, and in return, Vishnu took the subject along with the king to heaven. Vishwamitra got new people to reside in the Ayodhya kingdom and made Rohitshwa the new king. 

Graphical Representation of the Story of Harishchandra

Moral of the Satyavadi Harishchandra story

The story presented above is a very heart-touching moral story with a very profound meaning. The moral behind the story is very clear and important to learn from young kids. Therefore, the moral of the story is that one who is always truthful, caring, honest, generous, and caring toward his people is loved and rewarded by God in some way. God always helps and blesses those who possess such qualities. Thus, we all must learn these moral qualities from king Harishchandra and walk on the path of honesty.

Note to Parents

Telling mythological stories and legends to your kids promotes love and knowledge advancement. As all the mythological stories are very magical and full of fantasies, it also develops the thinking, imagination, and creativity level of the kids. Young kids often get attracted to magical stories that are full of powers and other supernatural things. Mythical stories also encourage curiosity among young kids. Such stories related to god and fantasies are popularly passed down by grandparents and elderly people to their next generations.