Shloka 15
Adhyāya 12: Devas’ Petition to Nahūṣa; Bṛhaspati on Śaraṇāgata-Dharma; Indrāṇī’s Strategic Delay
नाहमिच्छामि नहुषं पतिं देवर्षिसत्तम । शरणागतासि्मि ते ब्रह्मंंस्त्रायस्व महतो भयात्
nāham icchāmi nahuṣaṃ patiṃ devarṣi-sattama | śaraṇāgatāsmi te brahman trāyasva mahato bhayāt ||
देवर्षियों में श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मणदेव! मैं नहुष को पति रूप में नहीं चाहती। इसलिए आपकी शरण में आई हूँ; इस महान भय से मेरी रक्षा कीजिए।
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Seeking refuge (śaraṇāgati) with the righteous is upheld as a dharmic recourse, and the one approached—especially a sage—bears a moral duty to protect the suppliant from fear, coercion, and injustice.
A woman, fearing being forced into marriage with Nahusha, rejects him explicitly and approaches a revered seer/Brahmin for asylum, requesting protection from the danger she faces.