Shloka 18

Nahuṣa Abhiṣeka and the Crisis of Restraint (नहुषाभिषेकः—दमभ्रंशः)

Devanagari script

इन्द्रस्य महिषी देवी कस्मान्मां नोपतिष्ठति । अहमिन्द्रोडस्मि देवानां लोकानां च तथेश्वर:

Transliteration

indrasya mahiṣī devī kasmān māṁ nopatiṣṭhati | aham indro 'smi devānāṁ lokānāṁ ca tatheśvaraḥ ||

Translation

沙利耶说道：“因陀罗的神圣正后为何不来侍奉我？因为我乃诸天之因陀罗，也同样是诸世界之主。”

Word by Word

• इन्द्रस्य: of Indra
• इन्द्रस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्र
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• महिषी: queen, chief consort
• महिषी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महिषी
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• देवी: goddess
• देवी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• कस्मात्: why? for what reason?
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम्
• Form: Interrogative adverbial use (ablative sense): 'from what cause/why'

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Accusative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• उपतिष्ठति: attends on, waits upon
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-स्था
• Form: Present, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Nominative, Singular

• इन्द्रः: Indra
• इन्द्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उ: indeed, surely
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उ
• Form: Emphatic particle

• अस्मि: am
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Present, 1st, Singular

• देवानाम्: of the gods
• देवानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• लोकानाम्: of the worlds/peoples
• लोकानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• तथा: so, likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• ईश्वरः: lord, ruler
• ईश्वरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

शल्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śalya
• Indra
• Indra's chief queen (Mahīṣī)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical danger of inflated self-regard: claiming supreme status and demanding honor as a right reflects ahaṅkāra (ego), which in dharma literature is a frequent cause of conflict, misjudgment, and downfall.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śalya speaks in a tone of self-exaltation, comparing himself to Indra and questioning why Indra’s chief queen does not attend him—an utterance that signals heightened pride and a demand for recognition, setting a psychological backdrop for tension and rivalry in the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war atmosphere.