Adhyāya 12: Devas’ Petition to Nahūṣa; Bṛhaspati on Śaraṇāgata-Dharma; Indrāṇī’s Strategic Delay
दृष्टवा तां नहुषश्चापि वयोरूपसमन्विताम् | समदह्ृष्यत दुष्टात्मा कामोपहतचेतन:,नयी अवस्था और सुन्दर रूपसे सुशोभित इन्द्राणीको देखकर दुष्टात्मा नहुष बहुत प्रसन्न हुआ। कामभावनासे उसकी बुद्धि मारी गयी थी
dṛṣṭvā tāṃ nahuṣaścāpi vayorūpasamanvitām | samadahyata duṣṭātmā kāmopahatacetanaḥ ||
Seeing Indrāṇī—adorned with youthful bloom and beauty—Nahuṣa, wicked at heart, was inflamed with delight. Desire struck down his mind and judgment, and he lost all moral restraint.
शल्य उवाच
Unchecked kāma (desire) clouds discernment (cetana/buddhi) and leads to adharma; inner corruption (duṣṭātmā) expresses itself as loss of restraint when confronted with temptation.
Śalya describes Nahuṣa’s reaction upon seeing Indrāṇī: captivated by her youth and beauty, he becomes inwardly inflamed and mentally overpowered by lust, setting the stage for wrongful conduct.