Shloka 13
नहुषोपाख्यानम्—दीपदान-धूप-बलीकर्म-प्रशंसा
Nahūṣa Episode and the Commendation of Lamp-Gifting and Household Offerings
ततः स परिहीणो<भूत् सुरेन्द्रो बलदर्पत: । धूपदीपोदकविधधि न यथावच्चकार ह
tataḥ sa parihīṇo 'bhūt surendro baladarpataḥ | dhūpadīpodakavidhīṁ na yathāvac cakāra ha ||
ततः स परिहीणोऽभूत् सुरेन्द्रो बलदर्पतः । धूपदीपोदकविधिं न यथावच्चकार ह ॥ बलमदेन मोहितः स सुरेन्द्रः स्वधर्मात् च्युतः; धूपदानं दीपदानं जलदानं च यथाविधि कर्तुं न्यवर्तत।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power breeds downfall when it turns into pride: arrogance leads to negligence of prescribed duties, and the neglect of small daily rites (incense, lamp, water offerings) reflects a broader collapse of self-restraint and dharma.
Bhīṣma describes the decline of the ‘lord of the gods’ (in the episode, Nahusha elevated to Indra’s position): intoxicated by power, he stops observing the proper ritual procedures for offerings, marking the beginning of his moral and spiritual fall.