Shloka 29
नहुषोपाख्यानम्—दीपदान-धूप-बलीकर्म-प्रशंसा
Nahūṣa Episode and the Commendation of Lamp-Gifting and Household Offerings
महाराज! नहुषने जो भिन्न-भिन्न प्रकारके दान किये थे, तप और नियमोंका अनुष्ठान किया था, उनके प्रभावसे वे पृथ्वीपर गिरकर भी पूर्वजन्मकी स्मृतिसे वंचित नहीं हुए। उन्होंने भूगुको प्रसन्न करते हुए कहा--'प्रभो! मुझको मिले हुए शापका अंत होना चाहिये” ।।
mahārāja! nahuṣeṇa yo bhinna-bhinna-prakārake dānāni kṛtāni, tapaḥ ca niyamānām anuṣṭhānam kṛtam, teṣāṁ prabhāvena te pṛthivyāṁ patitā api pūrva-janma-smṛteḥ vañcitā na abhavan. te bhṛgum prasādayantaḥ ūcuḥ— “prabho! mama labdhasya śāpasya antaḥ bhavitavyaḥ.” tato’gastyaḥ kṛpāviṣṭaḥ śāpāntārthaṁ mahārāja sa bhṛgum prasādayat. sa ca bhṛguḥ kṛpānvitaḥ tasya śāpasya antaṁ tathā niścakāra.
Bhishma said: O King, because Nahusha had performed many kinds of gifts and had practiced austerity and disciplined observances, even after falling to the earth he did not lose the memory of his former birth. Seeking to appease the sage Bhṛgu, he said, “Lord, the curse that has befallen me should come to an end.” Then Agastya, moved by compassion, approached Bhṛgu to secure the termination of that curse; and Bhṛgu, softened by mercy, determined the manner in which the curse would end. The passage underscores how past merit sustains awareness in adversity, and how humility and the intercession of the compassionate can open a path to release from suffering.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Merit gained through charity, austerity, and disciplined observance can sustain clarity even in downfall; release from suffering is approached through humility, sincere propitiation, and compassionate mediation by the wise.
Nahusha, though fallen to the earth under a curse, retains memory due to his past merits. He seeks Bhrigu’s favor for the curse to end. Agastya, moved by compassion, intercedes with Bhrigu, who then determines the conditions for the curse’s cessation.