Shloka 22

Nahūṣa’s Fall Explained: Agastya’s Account to Indra (Śalya-narrated)

Devanagari script

उपागम्याब्रुवन्‌ सर्वे दिष्ट्या वर्धसि शरत्रुहन्‌ । हतश्च नहुषः पापो दिष्ट्यागस्त्येन धीमता । दिष्ट्या पापसमाचार: कृत: सर्पो महीतले

Transliteration

upāgamyābruvan sarve diṣṭyā vardhasi śatrūhan | hataś ca nahuṣaḥ pāpo diṣṭyāgastyena dhīmatā | diṣṭyā pāpasamācāraḥ kṛtaḥ sarpo mahītale ||

Translation

All of them approached and said: “Fortune attends you, O slayer of foes; your prosperity is indeed auspicious. By good fortune the sinful Nahuṣa has been struck down by the wise Agastya; and by good fortune that evildoer has been made a serpent upon the earth.”

Word by Word

• उपागम्य: having approached
• उपागम्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-आ-गम्
• Form: ल्यप् (क्त्वा-प्रत्ययार्थक अव्यय), कर्तरि, पूर्वकाल (absolutive)

• अब्रुवन्: they said
• अब्रुवन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू
• Form: लङ्, 3, Plural, परस्मैपद

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• दिष्ट्या: fortunately; by good luck
• दिष्ट्या: Karana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दिष्टि
• Form: आशीर्वाद/हर्षसूचक अव्यय (instrumental-form used adverbially)

• वर्धसि: you prosper / you are increasing
• वर्धसि: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृध्
• Form: लट्, 2, Singular, परस्मैपद

• शत्रुहन्: O slayer of enemies
• शत्रुहन्: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत्रुहन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• हतः: slain
• हतः: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: क्त, Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: conjunction

• नहुषः: Nahusha
• नहुषः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नहुष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पापः: sinful
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• दिष्ट्या: fortunately
• दिष्ट्या: Karana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दिष्टि
• Form: आशीर्वाद/हर्षसूचक अव्यय

• अगस्त्येन: by Agastya
• अगस्त्येन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्त्य
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• धीमता: wise
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धीमत्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• दिष्ट्या: fortunately
• दिष्ट्या: Karana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दिष्टि
• Form: आशीर्वाद/हर्षसूचक अव्यय

• पापसमाचारः: evil-doer; one of sinful conduct
• पापसमाचारः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप-समाचार
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कृतः: made; turned into
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: क्त, Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सर्पः: a serpent
• सर्पः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्प
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• महीतले: on the earth's surface
• महीतले: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महीतल
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

Speaker

शल्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Nahuṣa
• Agastya
• Earth (mahītala)
• Serpent (sarpa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores that immoral conduct (pāpa-samācāra) leads to downfall and transformation into a degraded state, while the correction of wrongdoing by a wise authority (Agastya) is celebrated as the restoration of dharma and social-cosmic order.

What is happening in the narrative?

A group approaches Indra and congratulates him, rejoicing that the sinful Nahuṣa has been subdued by the sage Agastya and reduced to the condition of a serpent on earth—an event presented as a fortunate turning point.