Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 15
नहुषोपाख्यानम्—दीपदान-धूप-बलीकर्म-प्रशंसा
Nahūṣa Episode and the Commendation of Lamp-Gifting and Household Offerings
द्रुतं सरस्वतीकूलात् स्मयन्निव महाबल: । ततो भृगुर्महातेजा मैत्रावरुणिमब्रवीत्
drutaṁ sarasvatīkūlāt smayann iva mahābalaḥ | tato bhṛgur mahātejā maitrāvaruṇim abravīt |
Dijo Bhishma: Entonces el poderoso, como si sonriera, se apresuró desde la ribera del Sarasvatī. Luego el sabio Bhṛgu, de gran esplendor, se dirigió a Maitrāvaruṇi (Agastya), poniendo en marcha el consejo siguiente de este episodio—donde las consecuencias del desorden ritual y la irrupción de fuerzas hostiles se vuelven una advertencia moral sobre la contención, la recta conducta y la protección de los ritos sagrados.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a transition into instruction: when sacred order is disturbed, wise sages respond through counsel and corrective action. It implicitly upholds dharma—protecting rites, exercising restraint, and addressing wrongdoing through proper authority and wisdom rather than impulse.
A powerful figure departs swiftly from the Sarasvatī’s bank, and then the sage Bhṛgu begins speaking to Agastya (Maitrāvaruṇi). The verse functions as a narrative hinge introducing Bhṛgu’s words and the next development in the episode.