Shloka 14

नहुषोपाख्यानम्—दीपदान-धूप-बलीकर्म-प्रशंसा

Nahūṣa Episode and the Commendation of Lamp-Gifting and Household Offerings

Devanagari script

ततो<स्य यज्ञविषयो रक्षोभ्रि: पर्यबध्यत । अथागस्त्यमृषिश्रेष्ठ वाहनायाजुहाव ह

Transliteration

tato ’sya yajñaviṣayo rakṣobhiḥ paryabadhyata | athāgastyam ṛṣiśreṣṭhaṃ vāhanāyājuhāva ha ||

Translation

Rồi đàn tế của ông bị bọn rākṣasa tràn vào chiếm cứ và ngăn trở. Khi ấy ông triệu thỉnh bậc hiền triết tối thượng Agastya đến làm kẻ khiêng chở (mang/đưa ông đi), khởi đầu một biến cố cho thấy: khi quyền lực bị lạm dụng và kiêu mạn trỗi dậy, nghi lễ thiêng liêng có thể biến thành sân khấu của sự cưỡng bức, chứ không còn là dharma.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• अस्य: of him/this (his)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: masculine/neuter, genitive, singular

• यज्ञविषयः: the sacrificial ground/area
• यज्ञविषयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञविषय
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• रक्षोभिः: by the rakshasas/demons
• रक्षोभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्षस्
• Form: neuter, instrumental, plural

• पर्यबध्यत: was surrounded/encircled
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-बन्ध्
• Form: imperfect (laṅ), 3rd, singular, ātmanepada

• अथ: then, next
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• अगस्त्यम्: Agastya
• अगस्त्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्त्य
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• ऋषिश्रेष्ठम्: the best of sages
• ऋषिश्रेष्ठम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषिश्रेष्ठ
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• वाहनाय: for carrying/transport
• वाहनाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाहन
• Form: neuter, dative, singular

• आजुहाव: called/summoned
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-ह्वा
• Form: perfect (liṭ), 3rd, singular, parasmaipada

• ह: indeed (emphatic particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Agastya
• Rakshasas
• Yajna (sacrificial ground)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Sacred rites and holy spaces are protected by right conduct; when arrogance or adharma gains influence, even a yajña can be disrupted. The verse sets up a moral contrast between reverence for sages and coercive use of authority.

What is happening in the narrative?

The sacrificial ground becomes beset by rākṣasas, and the king (contextually, Nahusha in this episode) summons the great sage Agastya to act as a bearer/transport, initiating the chain of events that follows.