Shloka 14
Nahūṣa’s Pride, the Ṛṣi-Borne Palanquin, and the Search for Indra (नहुष-इन्द्राणी-प्रकरणम्)
प्रभो! महाभाग सप्तर्षि एकत्र होकर शिबिकाद्वारा आपका वहन करें। राजन्! यही मुझे अच्छा लगता है ।।
prabho! mahābhāga saptaṛṣaya ekatra bhūtvā śibikayā tava vahnaṃ kurvantu. rājan! etad eva mama rocate. na asureṣu na deveṣu tulyo bhavitum arhasi. sarveṣāṃ teja ādattse svena vīryeṇa darśanāt. na te pramukhataḥ sthātuṃ kaścid śaknoti vīryavān.
Śalya sprach: „O Herr, o Hochbegnadeter—lass die Sieben Rishis sich versammeln und dich in einer Sänfte tragen. O König, das ist es, was mir gefällt. Weder unter Asuras noch unter Devas gibt es einen, der würdig wäre, dir gleich zu sein. Durch deine eigene Kraft, schon durch bloßes Erblicktwerden, scheinst du allen den Glanz zu entziehen. Niemand, wie tapfer und mächtig er auch sei, vermag dir gegenüber standzuhalten.“
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the classical idea of tejas—an inner radiance born of valor and stature—so overwhelming that it diminishes others’ confidence. Ethically, it also shows how praise and honorific proposals can be used to elevate a leader’s status and influence decisions in a tense political setting.
Śalya addresses a king with extravagant praise, proposing that even the Seven Sages should carry him in a palanquin. He asserts that neither gods nor demons equal the king, and that no warrior can face him—language meant to magnify the king’s prestige and martial reputation.