Shloka 8
Nahuṣa Abhiṣeka and the Crisis of Restraint (नहुषाभिषेकः—दमभ्रंशः)
तेज आदास्यसे पश्चन् बलवांश्व भविष्यसि । धर्म पुरस्कृत्य सदा सर्वलोकाधिपो भव
teja ādāsyase paścān balavāṁś ca bhaviṣyasi | dharmaṁ puraskṛtya sadā sarvalokādhipo bhava ||
Śalya said: “Thereafter you will seize away the radiance of others and become mighty. Keeping dharma always in the forefront, become the sovereign lord over all the worlds.” The statement frames power not as mere conquest but as authority that must be continually subordinated to righteousness.
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even if one gains extraordinary power and the ability to overpower others, legitimate rule must be grounded in dharma; righteousness is presented as the governing principle that should precede and restrain sovereignty.
Śalya is giving counsel, forecasting that the addressee will become powerful by appropriating others’ tejas, and urging that such ascendancy be exercised with dharma placed foremost, culminating in universal lordship.