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 ||
Alors son aire sacrificielle fut envahie et entravée par les rākṣasas. Il convoqua donc le plus éminent des sages, Agastya, pour qu’il fût son porteur (qu’il le porte/le transporte), déclenchant un épisode qui montre comment l’abus de pouvoir et l’orgueil peuvent faire des rites sacrés une scène de contrainte plutôt que 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.