Shloka 25
अग्निस्तुति, इन्द्रदर्शन, नहुष-भयवर्णन
Agni-hymn, discovery of Indra, and the Nahuṣa threat
एवमुक्तिर्वर्धितश्नापि देवै राजाभवन्नहुषो घोरवीर्य: । त्रैलोक्ये च प्राप्य राज्यं महर्षीन् कृत्वा वाहान् याति लोकान् दुरात्मा
evam uktir vardhitaś cāpi devair rājābhavan nahuṣo ghoravīryaḥ | trailokye ca prāpya rājyaṃ maharṣīn kṛtvā vāhān yāti lokān durātmā ||
Mendengar demikian, para dewa menambahnya dengan daya tapa dan tejas. Maka Nahusha, raja yang mengerikan keperkasaannya, menjadi penguasa surga. Setelah meraih kedaulatan atas tiga dunia, ia yang berhati jahat menjadikan para maharṣi sebagai pengusungnya dan berkelana ke segala loka.
इन्द्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power gained through merit or divine favor must remain governed by humility and dharma; otherwise, arrogance converts spiritual or political elevation into ethical collapse, shown by Nahusha’s degrading treatment of the seers.
Indra recounts that after Nahusha’s words, the gods enhanced his tapas-born radiance; Nahusha then became king of heaven and, intoxicated by sovereignty over the three worlds, forced great ṛṣis to serve as his conveyance while he wandered through the realms.