Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 9.7.20

ṣaṣṭhaḿ saḿvatsaraḿ tatra

caritvā rohitaḥ purīm

upavrajann ajīgartād

akrīṇān madhyamaḿ sutam

śunaḥśephaḿ paśuḿ pitre

pradāya samavandata

SYNONYMS

ṣaṣṭham — the sixth; saḿvatsaram — year; tatra — in the forest; caritvā — wandering; rohitaḥ — the son of Hariścandra; purīm — in his capital; upavrajan — went there; ajīgartāt — from Ajīgarta; akrīṇāt — purchased; madhyamam — the second; sutam — son; śunaḥśepham — whose name was Śunaḥśepha; paśum — to use as the sacrificial animal; pitre — unto his father; pradāya — offering; samavandata — respectfully offered his obeisances.

TRANSLATION

Thereafter, in the sixth year, after wandering in the forest, Rohita returned to the capital of his father. He purchased from Ajīgarta his second son, named Śunaḥśepha. Then he offered Śunaḥśepha to his father, Hariścandra, to be used as the sacrificial animal and offered Hariścandra his respectful obeisances.

PURPORT

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. Indeed, they have existed since time immemorial.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness