Shloka 3
Nahuṣa Abhiṣeka and the Crisis of Restraint (नहुषाभिषेकः—दमभ्रंशः)
स तानुवाच नहुषो देवानृषिगणांस्तथा । पितृभि: सहितान् राजन् परीप्सन् हितमात्मन:
sa tān uvāca nahuṣo devān ṛṣigaṇāṁs tathā | pitṛbhiḥ sahitān rājan parīpsan hitam ātmanaḥ ||
そこでナフシャ王は、祖霊（ピトリ）を伴う神々と仙人たちの群れに向かって語った。王よ、彼は自らの益になると信じたものを求めつつ、近づいて来て主権を受けよと請う彼らに応えて言葉を発した。
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights motivation as ethically significant: Nahuṣa’s response is explicitly marked as driven by personal advantage (ātmanaḥ hitam). In epic ethics, rulership and speech gain moral weight not only from outcomes but from the intention aligned—or misaligned—with dharma.
Gods, sages, and the Pitṛs approach Nahuṣa and invite him to take the role of king. Nahuṣa then addresses them; the narration emphasizes that he speaks while seeking his own benefit, foreshadowing tension between rightful authority and overreaching ambition.