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 ||
بھیشم نے کہا— پھر قوت کے غرور میں مدہوش ہو کر وہ دیوراج اپنی درست حالت سے گِر پڑا۔ اس نے دھوپ، دیپ اور جل کے نذرانوں کی شاستری विधি کو یथावत ادا کرنا چھوڑ دیا۔
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.