Shloka 3
Nahuṣa Abhiṣeka and the Crisis of Restraint (नहुषाभिषेकः—दमभ्रंशः)
स तानुवाच नहुषो देवानृषिगणांस्तथा । पितृभि: सहितान् राजन् परीप्सन् हितमात्मन:,ऐसा निश्चय करके वे सब लोग राजा नहुषके पास जाकर बोले--'पृथिवीपते! आप हमारे राजा होइये'--राजन्! तब नहुषने पितरोंसहित उन देवताओं तथा ऋषियोंसे अपने हितकी इच्छासे कहा--
sa tān uvāca nahuṣo devān ṛṣigaṇāṁs tathā | pitṛbhiḥ sahitān rājan parīpsan hitam ātmanaḥ ||
ข้าแต่พระราชา ครั้นแล้วนหุษ—พร้อมด้วยเหล่าปิตฤ—ได้กล่าวตอบเหล่าเทพและหมู่ฤๅษี โดยมุ่งสิ่งที่ตนเห็นว่าเป็นประโยชน์แก่ตนเอง
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights motivation as ethically significant: Nahuṣa’s response is explicitly marked as driven by personal advantage (ātmanaḥ hitam). In epic ethics, rulership and speech gain moral weight not only from outcomes but from the intention aligned—or misaligned—with dharma.
Gods, sages, and the Pitṛs approach Nahuṣa and invite him to take the role of king. Nahuṣa then addresses them; the narration emphasizes that he speaks while seeking his own benefit, foreshadowing tension between rightful authority and overreaching ambition.