Shloka 20
Nahuṣa Abhiṣeka and the Crisis of Restraint (नहुषाभिषेकः—दमभ्रंशः)
रक्ष मां नहुषाद् ब्रह्मंस्त्वामस्मि शरणं गता । सर्वलक्षणसम्पन्नां ब्रह्मुंस्त्वं मां प्रभाषसे
rakṣa māṁ nahuṣād brahman tvām asmi śaraṇaṁ gatā | sarvalakṣaṇasampannāṁ brahman tvaṁ māṁ prabhāṣase |
Śacī, inwardly distressed, addressed Bṛhaspati: “O Brahman, I have come to you for refuge. Protect me from Nahuṣa. O best of priests, you yourself have often spoken of me as endowed with every auspicious mark.”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights śaraṇāgati—seeking refuge with the righteous—and implies a dharmic obligation upon the wise (here, Bṛhaspati) to protect one who is threatened. It also affirms the ethical value placed on a woman’s dignity and marital fidelity, which society and spiritual authorities are expected to safeguard.
Śacī, troubled by Nahuṣa’s pressure and misconduct, turns to Bṛhaspati for protection. She reminds him that he has praised her auspicious qualities and fidelity to Indra, and she appeals to him to act accordingly by shielding her from Nahuṣa.