Shloka 10
Cyavana’s Yogic Display and Kuśika’s Recognition of Tapas (च्यवन-योगप्रभावः कुशिकस्य तपःप्रशंसा च)
नहुष उवाच कोटि: प्रदीयतां मूल्यं निषादेभ्य: पुरोहित । यदेतदपि नो मूल्यमतो भूय: प्रदीयताम्
Nahuṣa uvāca: koṭiḥ pradīyatāṁ mūlyaṁ niṣādebhyaḥ purohita | yad etad api no mūlyam ato bhūyaḥ pradīyatām ||
Nahuṣa said: “O priest, let a crore of coins be given as the price to these Niṣādas. And if even this is not an adequate price, then let still more be given.”
नहुष उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical problem: attempting to resolve a moral or social wrong purely through monetary compensation. It invites reflection on whether wealth can truly measure the value of persons, dignity, or dharma.
King Nahuṣa instructs his priest to give the Niṣādas an enormous payment—one crore as a ‘price’—and authorizes increasing it if it is still deemed insufficient, framing the situation as a negotiable settlement.