Shloka 14
Nahuṣa Abhiṣeka and the Crisis of Restraint (नहुषाभिषेकः—दमभ्रंशः)
शृण्वन् दिव्या बहुविधा: कथा: श्रुतिमनोहरा: । वादित्राणि च सर्वाणि गीत॑ च मधुरस्वनम्
śṛṇvan divyā bahuvidhāḥ kathāḥ śrutimanoharāḥ | vāditrāṇi ca sarvāṇi gītaṃ ca madhurasvanam ||
Śalya said: “Listening to many kinds of divine tales—captivating to ear and mind—he delighted in every sort of instrumental music and in songs sung with sweet melody.”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how refined pleasures—entertaining stories, music, and sweet song—can absorb attention and soften discipline; ethically, it gestures toward the need for self-restraint and alertness, especially for rulers and the powerful.
Śalya is describing a figure immersed in celestial-style enjoyments: listening to enchanting divine narratives and taking delight in instrumental music and melodious singing, as part of a broader depiction of luxurious, pleasure-filled life.