Text 21] The Descendants of King Māndhātā
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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.
TEXT 21
ततः पुरुषमेधेन हरिश्चन्द्रो महायशः । 
    मुक्तोदरोऽयजद् देवान् वरुणादीन् महत्कथः ॥२१॥
tataḥ puruṣa-medhena 
    hariścandro mahā-yaśāḥ 
    muktodaro 'yajad devān 
    varuṇādīn mahat-kathaḥ
tataḥ —thereafter;  puruṣa-medhena —by sacrificing a man in the  yajña ;  hariścandraḥ —King Hariścandra;  mahā-yaśāḥ —very famous;  mukta-udaraḥ —became free from dropsy;  ayajat —offered sacrifices;  devān —unto the demigods;  varuṇa-ādīn —headed by Varuṇa and others;  mahat-kathaḥ —famous in history with other exalted personalities.