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 ।। ते चेद् भवन्ति राजेन्द्र ऋद्ध्यन्ते गृहमेधिन: । धूपप्रदानैर्दीपैश्न नमस्कारैस्तथैव च,राजेन्द्र! गृहस्थके घर यदि उन सदाचारोंका पालन हो तो वे गृहस्थ सर्वथा उन्नतिशील होते हैं, धूपदान, दीपदान तथा देवताओंको किये गये नमस्कार आदिसे भी गृहस्थोंकी ऋद्धि-सिद्धि बढ़ती है
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.
Bhishma disse: “A oferta de lâmpadas, a doação de alimento com todos os acompanhamentos necessários, os ritos de bali (oferendas) e as diversas cerimônias de banho e unção continuavam a ser realizados como antes. Todos os códigos de boa conduta que os sábios prescreveram nos mundos dos deuses e dos homens—todos eram observados continuamente na casa do magnânimo rei Nahusha. Se tais práticas justas estão presentes numa casa, ó melhor dos reis, os chefes de família prosperam e se elevam em todos os aspectos; e, por meio de oferendas de incenso, de lâmpadas e de reverentes saudações às divindades, aumentam a prosperidade e o êxito dos que vivem a dharma do lar.”
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.