Shloka 5
नहुषोपाख्यानम्—दीपदान-धूप-बलीकर्म-प्रशंसा
Nahūṣa Episode and the Commendation of Lamp-Gifting and Household Offerings
दीपदान, समस्त उपकरणोंसहित अन्नदान, बलिकर्म एवं नाना प्रकारके स्नान- अभिषेक आदि पूर्ववत् चालू थे। देवलोक तथा मनुष्यलोकमें विद्वानोंने जो सदाचार बताये हैं, वे सब महामना देवराज नहुषके यहाँ होते रहते थे ।।
Bhīṣma uvāca: dīpadānaṃ, samastopakaraṇasahitam annadānaṃ, balikarma ca nānāprakārasya snāna-abhisheka-ādayaḥ pūrvavat pravartamānā āsan. devaloke manuṣyaloke ca vidvadbhiḥ ye sadācārāḥ proktāḥ, te sarve mahāmanā devarāja-nahuṣasya gṛhe satataṃ pravartante sma. te ced bhavanti rājendra, ṛddhyante gṛhamedhinaḥ; dhūpapradānaiḥ dīpaiś ca namaskārais tathaiva ca.
ビーシュマは語った。「灯明の供養、必要な添え物をすべて備えた食の施し、バリ（供物）の作法、そして種々の沐浴・灌頂や塗油の儀などは、以前と変わらず行われていた。天界と人界において学識ある者たちが定めた善き行いの規範はことごとく、心高き王ナフシャの御殿にて絶えず守られていた。もしそのような正しい行いが一つの家に備わるなら、王の中の最上よ、家住の者はあらゆる面で栄え、さらに香の供え、灯明の供え、神々への恭敬の礼拝によって、家住の繁栄と成就はいよいよ増すのである。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that a householder’s steady observance of sadācāra—charity (especially food-giving), regular worship through lamps and incense, offerings (bali), and purificatory rites—leads to ṛddhi (flourishing) and overall uplift. Prosperity is presented as the ethical fruit of disciplined domestic dharma rather than mere accumulation.
Bhishma, instructing Yudhiṣṭhira, cites the exemplary household of King Nahusha, where learnedly approved customs in both divine and human spheres were continuously practiced. He then generalizes the point: when such practices are maintained in a home, householders prosper, and devotional acts like incense, lamps, and salutations further increase their well-being.