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 ||
Então Agastya dirigiu-se ao senhor dos deuses, dizendo: “Ó governante dos homens, protetor dos súditos, atrela-me depressa ao carro e diz a que lugar devo levar-te. Ó soberano dos deuses, onde ordenares, ali te conduzirei.” Ao ouvir isso, Nahusha atrelou o sábio ao carro.
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.