Shloka 3
कृत्वा मूत्रमुपस्पृश्य संध्यामन्वास्त नैषध: । अकृत्वा पादयो: शौचं तत्रैनं कलिराविशत्,राजा नल उस दिन लघुशंका करके आये और हाथ-मुँह धोकर आचमन करनेके पश्चात् संध्योपासना करने बैठ गये; पैरोंको नहीं धोया। यह छिद्र देखकर कलियुग उनके भीतर प्रविष्ट हो गया
kṛtvā mūtram upaspṛśya sandhyām anvāsta naiṣadhaḥ | akṛtvā pādayoḥ śaucaṃ tatrainaṃ kalir āviśat ||
After relieving himself, the king of Niṣadha performed the prescribed purification (ācamana) and sat down to observe the twilight worship (sandhyā). But he did not wash his feet. Seizing upon this lapse in purity and discipline, Kali found an opening and entered into King Nala.
ब॒हृदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a small lapse in śauca and self-discipline can become an opening for adharma: negligence in basic purity while performing sacred duties is portrayed as a moral vulnerability that invites destructive forces (here personified as Kali).
Bṛhadaśva narrates that King Nala, after urinating, performed ācamana and sat for sandhyā worship but failed to wash his feet; Kali exploits this flaw and enters Nala, setting in motion Nala’s ensuing downfall.