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 ||
于是，那胡沙王对诸天、众仙以及诸祖灵（Pitṛ）开口说道。大王啊，他为求自以为对自身有利之事，便对他们的来访与请他受主权之求作了回应。
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.