Shloka 7
Go-apahāra (Cattle Theft), Go-dāna (Cow-Gift), and Suvarṇa-dakṣiṇā (Gold Fee): Karmic Consequence and Purificatory Merit
स वासुदेवेन समुद्धृतश्न पृष्टश्न कार्य निजगाद राजा । नृगस्तदा55त्मानमथो न्यवेदयत् पुरातनं यज्ञसहस्रयाजिनम्
sa vāsudevena samuddhṛtaḥ pṛṣṭaś ca kāryaṁ nijagāda rājā | nṛgas tadātmānam atho nyavedayat purātanaṁ yajñasahasrayājinam ||
เมื่อวาสุเทวะทรงยกเขาขึ้นมาแล้วทรงซักถามถึงเหตุแห่งเรื่องนั้น พระราชาก็กราบทูลตอบ ครั้นนั้นนฤคะจึงเปิดเผยตนว่าเป็นกษัตริย์โบราณผู้เลื่องชื่อว่าได้ประกอบยัญพิธีนับพัน
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Merit from grand rituals and public piety does not exempt one from the precise workings of dharma and karma; even a famed sacrificer may face consequences, and truthful self-disclosure becomes the starting point for ethical clarification and instruction.
After being lifted up by Vāsudeva, the afflicted king is questioned about his situation; he responds by revealing that he is Nṛga, an ancient king celebrated for performing thousands of sacrifices, setting the stage for explaining how his present condition arose.