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 ||
ದೇವರ್ಷಿಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣದೇವಾ! ನಾನು ನಹುಷನನ್ನು ಪತಿಯಾಗಿ ಬಯಸುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ನಿನ್ನ ಶರಣಿಗೆ ಬಂದಿದ್ದೇನೆ; ಈ ಮಹಾಭಯದಿಂದ ನನ್ನನ್ನು ರಕ್ಷಿಸು.
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.