Shloka 14
नहुषोपाख्यानम्—दीपदान-धूप-बलीकर्म-प्रशंसा
Nahūṣa Episode and the Commendation of Lamp-Gifting and Household Offerings
ततो<स्य यज्ञविषयो रक्षोभ्रि: पर्यबध्यत । अथागस्त्यमृषिश्रेष्ठ वाहनायाजुहाव ह
tato ’sya yajñaviṣayo rakṣobhiḥ paryabadhyata | athāgastyam ṛṣiśreṣṭhaṃ vāhanāyājuhāva ha ||
Entonces su recinto sacrificial quedó invadido y obstruido por los rākṣasas. En consecuencia, convocó al más eminente de los sabios, Agastya, para que fuese su porteador (para cargarlo/transportarlo), dando inicio a un episodio que muestra cómo el abuso del poder y el orgullo pueden convertir los ritos sagrados en un escenario de coerción, y no de dharma.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sacred rites and holy spaces are protected by right conduct; when arrogance or adharma gains influence, even a yajña can be disrupted. The verse sets up a moral contrast between reverence for sages and coercive use of authority.
The sacrificial ground becomes beset by rākṣasas, and the king (contextually, Nahusha in this episode) summons the great sage Agastya to act as a bearer/transport, initiating the chain of events that follows.