Shloka 1

Nahuṣa Abhiṣeka and the Crisis of Restraint (नहुषाभिषेकः—दमभ्रंशः)

Devanagari script

अपन का छा ] अतप+डऑफाा<ज एकादशोब< ध्याय: देवताओं तथा ऋषियोंके अनुरोधसे राजा नहुषका इन्द्रके पदपर अभिषिक्त होना एवं काम-भोगमें आसक्त होना और चिन्तामें पड़ी हुई इन्द्राणीको बृहस्पतिका आश्वासन शल्य उवाच ऋषयो<थाब्रुवन्‌ सर्वे देवाश्न त्रिदिवेश्वरा: । अयं वै नहुष: श्रीमान्‌ देवराज्येडभिषिच्यताम्‌

Transliteration

śalya uvāca

ṛṣayo ’thābruvan sarve devāś ca tridiveśvarāḥ |

ayaṃ vai nahuṣaḥ śrīmān devarājye ’bhiṣicyatām ||

Translation

Śalya said: Then all the sages, together with the gods who rule in heaven, declared: “This illustrious Nahuṣa indeed should be consecrated to the sovereignty of the gods.”

Word by Word

• {'śalya uvāca': 'Śalya said', 'ṛṣayaḥ': 'sages, seers', 'atha': 'then, thereafter', 'abruvan': 'said, spoke', 'sarve': 'all', 'devāḥ': 'gods', 'ca': 'and', 'tridiveśvarāḥ': 'lords of the threefold heaven

• rulers in heaven', 'ayam': 'this (person)', 'vai': 'indeed, certainly (emphatic particle)', 'nahuṣaḥ': 'Nahuṣa (a king)', 'śrīmān': 'illustrious, prosperous, endowed with splendor', 'devarājye': 'in the kingship of the gods

• Indra’s sovereignty', 'abhiṣicyatām': 'let him be consecrated/anointed (passive imperative)'}

Speaker

शल्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śalya
• ṛṣis (sages)
• devas (gods)
• Tridiva (heaven)
• Nahuṣa
• Devarājya (Indra’s sovereignty/office)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Authority becomes legitimate when grounded in collective moral-spiritual sanction (ṛṣis and devas), yet such elevation also implies a dharmic obligation: the recipient must exercise restraint, humility, and responsibility, since power is a trial as much as an honor.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śalya reports that the sages and the gods jointly propose that King Nahuṣa be anointed to the devarājya—Indra’s sovereign position—setting up the subsequent episode in which Nahuṣa’s conduct under newfound power becomes central.