Shloka 5
नहुषोपाख्यानम्—दीपदान-धूप-बलीकर्म-प्रशंसा
Nahūṣa Episode and the Commendation of Lamp-Gifting and Household Offerings
दीपदान, समस्त उपकरणोंसहित अन्नदान, बलिकर्म एवं नाना प्रकारके स्नान- अभिषेक आदि पूर्ववत् चालू थे। देवलोक तथा मनुष्यलोकमें विद्वानोंने जो सदाचार बताये हैं, वे सब महामना देवराज नहुषके यहाँ होते रहते थे ।।
Bhīṣma uvāca: dīpadānaṃ, samastopakaraṇasahitam annadānaṃ, balikarma ca nānāprakārasya snāna-abhisheka-ādayaḥ pūrvavat pravartamānā āsan. devaloke manuṣyaloke ca vidvadbhiḥ ye sadācārāḥ proktāḥ, te sarve mahāmanā devarāja-nahuṣasya gṛhe satataṃ pravartante sma. te ced bhavanti rājendra, ṛddhyante gṛhamedhinaḥ; dhūpapradānaiḥ dīpaiś ca namaskārais tathaiva ca.
Bhishma sprach: „Das Darbringen von Lampen, das Spenden von Speise mitsamt allem erforderlichen Zubehör, die Bali-Riten (Opfergaben) sowie mancherlei Bade- und Salbungszeremonien wurden wie zuvor fortgeführt. Welche Regeln rechten Wandels die Gelehrten in den Welten der Götter und der Menschen auch festgesetzt haben—sie alle wurden im Hause des hochgesinnten Königs Nahusha unablässig beachtet. Sind solche gerechten Übungen in einem Haus gegenwärtig, o Bester der Könige, so gedeihen die Hausväter und steigen in jeder Hinsicht empor; und durch Weihrauchopfer, Lampengaben und ehrerbietige Verneigungen vor den Gottheiten mehren sich Wohlstand und Gelingen der Haushälter.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that a householder’s steady observance of sadācāra—charity (especially food-giving), regular worship through lamps and incense, offerings (bali), and purificatory rites—leads to ṛddhi (flourishing) and overall uplift. Prosperity is presented as the ethical fruit of disciplined domestic dharma rather than mere accumulation.
Bhishma, instructing Yudhiṣṭhira, cites the exemplary household of King Nahusha, where learnedly approved customs in both divine and human spheres were continuously practiced. He then generalizes the point: when such practices are maintained in a home, householders prosper, and devotional acts like incense, lamps, and salutations further increase their well-being.