Shloka 12
Dhūpa–Dīpa–Bali Phala Praśna; Nahūṣa–Agastya–Bhṛgu Saṃvāda
Incense, Lamp, and Bali Offerings; the Nahūṣa Dialogue
तस्य वाहयत: कालो मुनिमुख्यांस्तपो धनान् । अहंकाराभिभूतस्य सुमहानभ्यवर्तत,वे अहंकारसे अभिभूत होकर क्रमश: सभी श्रेष्ठ तपस्वी मुनियोंको अपने रथमें जोतने लगे। ऐसा करते हुए राजाका दीर्घकाल व्यतीत हो गया
tasya vāhayataḥ kālo munimukhyāṁs tapodhanān | ahaṅkārābhibhūtasya sumahān abhyavartata ||
Bhīṣma nói: Khi hắn cứ tiếp tục bắt họ kéo xe, một thời gian rất dài đã trôi qua đối với vị vua ấy—kẻ bị lòng kiêu mạn chế ngự—trong lúc hắn tròng ách vào cỗ xe mình những bậc thánh hiền tối thượng, giàu công phu khổ hạnh.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Pride (ahaṅkāra) can blind a ruler into committing grave adharma—such as humiliating and exploiting the spiritually eminent—and, when not corrected, such misconduct can continue for a long time, deepening moral downfall.
Bhishma describes a king, overcome by ego, repeatedly yoking the foremost ascetic sages to his chariot and driving them; as he persists in this act, a very long period of time passes.