Shloka 5
Nimi’s Disembodied Liberation and the Rise of the Mithilā (Videha) Dynasty
निमि: प्रतिददौ शापं गुरवेऽधर्मवर्तिने । तवापि पतताद् देहो लोभाद्धर्ममजानत: ॥ ५ ॥
nimiḥ pratidadau śāpaṁ gurave ’dharma-vartine tavāpi patatād deho lobhād dharmam ajānataḥ
Nimi countercursed his guru, who had strayed into adharma: “Out of greed for gifts from the king of heaven you have lost dharmic discernment; therefore your body too shall fall.”
The religious principle for a brāhmaṇa is that he should not be greedy at all. In this case, however, for the sake of more lucrative remunerations from the King of heaven, Vasiṣṭha neglected Mahārāja Nimi’s request on this planet, and when Nimi performed the sacrifices with other priests, Vasiṣṭha unnecessarily cursed him. When one is infected by contaminated activities, his power, material or spiritual, reduces. Although Vasiṣṭha was the spiritual master of Mahārāja Nimi, because of his greed he became fallen.
FAQs
This verse states that greed can blind one to dharma; acting from lobha leads to downfall and painful consequences.
In the narrative, Nimi felt his guru had acted contrary to dharma; therefore he responded by issuing a counter-curse, declaring that greed-driven ignorance of righteousness brings bodily downfall.
Examine decisions for hidden greed; when lobha drives choices, dharma becomes unclear—so prioritize integrity and duty over selfish gain.