Shloka 18
नहुषोपाख्यानम्—दीपदान-धूप-बलीकर्म-प्रशंसा
Nahūṣa Episode and the Commendation of Lamp-Gifting and Household Offerings
ततोडगस्त्य: सुरपतिं वाक्यमाह विशाम्पते | योजयस्वेति मां क्षिप्रं कं च देशं वहामि ते
tato ’gastyaḥ surapatiṁ vākyam āha viśāmpate | yojayasveti māṁ kṣipraṁ kaṁ ca deśaṁ vahāmi te prajānātha ||
ຕໍ່ມາ ອະກັສຕະຍະ ໄດ້ກ່າວຕໍ່ເຈົ້າແຫ່ງເທວະວ່າ: “ໂອ ຜູ້ປົກຄອງປະຊາ, ຈົ່ງຜູກຂ້າພະເຈົ້າເຂົ້າກັບລົດໃຫ້ໄວ ແລະບອກມາວ່າ ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຈະພາທ່ານໄປທີ່ໃດ. ໂອ ຈອມເທວະ, ບ່ອນໃດທີ່ທ່ານສັ່ງ ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຈະນຳທ່ານໄປບ່ອນນັ້ນ.” ເມື່ອໄດ້ຍິນດັ່ງນັ້ນ ນະຫຸສະກໍຜູກິສີເຂົ້າກັບລົດ.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power without humility turns into adharma: when a ruler treats a sage as a beast of burden, it signals moral blindness and invites downfall. Reverence for the righteous (ṛṣi) is a safeguard of dharma.
Agastya speaks to the lord of the gods and, in the episode’s dramatic reversal, offers to be yoked and to carry him wherever commanded; in the surrounding narrative, Nahusha—intoxicated by authority—actually yokes the sage to the chariot, setting the stage for his curse and fall.