Critical Edition
शल्य उवाच अथ संचिन्तयानस्य देवराजस्य धीमतः नहुषस्य वधोपायं लोकपालैः सहैव तैः तपस्वी तत्र भगवानगस्त्यः प्रत्यदृश्यत
AI Translation: Shalya said: Then, while the wise king of the gods was contemplating, together with the guardians of the world, the means to kill Nahusha, the ascetic sage Agastya appeared there.
सोऽब्रवीदर्च्य देवेन्द्रं दिष्ट्या वै वर्धते भवान् विश्वरूपविनाशेन वृत्रासुरवधेन च
AI Translation: He said, "By worshipping Indra, the lord of the gods, you are indeed prospering. By the destruction of the universe and the killing of the demon Vritra.
Supplementary Passages:
5.17.2 After 2, S ins.: *112 दिष्ट्या हतारिं पश्यामो देवराजं शतक्रतुम् दिष्ट्या धर्मः स्थितो लोके दिष्ट्या लोकाः प्रतिष्ठिताः T G cont.: M ins. after 3ab: *113 दिष्ट्या पश्याम देवेन्द्र दिष्ट्या लोकान्पुनर्नवान्
दिष्ट्या च नहुषो भ्रष्टो देवराज्यात्पुरंदर दिष्ट्या हतारिं पश्यामि भवन्तं बलसूदन
AI Translation: By good fortune, Nahusha has been ousted from the kingship of the gods, O Purandara. By good fortune, I see you, the destroyer of enemies, the destroyer of Bala.
इन्द्र उवाच स्वागतं ते महर्षेऽस्तु प्रीतोऽहं दर्शनात्तव पाद्यमाचमनीयं च गामर्घ्यं च प्रतीच्छ मे
M. N. Dutt: Indra said Welcome to you, O great Rishi; I am pleased at seeing you; be so good as to accept from me water for washing your feet and your face and also the things suitable for your worship and a cow.
शल्य उवाच पूजितं चोपविष्टं तमासने मुनिसत्तमम् पर्यपृच्छत देवेशः प्रहृष्टो ब्राह्मणर्षभम्
M. N. Dutt: Shalya said That best among the Rishis being duly worshipped and seated on a seat, the chief of the gods, well pleased, asked that best among the Brahmanas.
एतदिच्छामि भगवन्कथ्यमानं द्विजोत्तम परिभ्रष्टः कथं स्वर्गान्नहुषः पापनिश्चयः
M. N. Dutt: O you best among the twice born, having the six attributes, narrate how Nahusha of vicious purpose came to be ousted from heaven. I want to hear that.
अगस्त्य उवाच शृणु शक्र प्रियं वाक्यं यथा राजा दुरात्मवान् स्वर्गाद्भ्रष्टो दुराचारो नहुषो बलदर्पितः
M. N. Dutt: Agastya said Listen, O Shakra, to this story as to how the vicious-souled Nahusha, of bad habits, vain of his strength, has been ousted from heaven.
श्रमार्तास्तु वहन्तस्तं नहुषं पापकारिणम् देवर्षयो महाभागास्तथा ब्रह्मर्षयोऽमलाः पप्रच्छुः संशयं देव नहुषं जयतां वर
AI Translation: The gods, the sages, and the pure Brahmins, who were exhausted from carrying the sinful Nahusha, asked the god, the best of the victorious, about their doubts.
य इमे ब्रह्मणा प्रोक्ता मन्त्रा वै प्रोक्षणे गवाम् एते प्रमाणं भवत उताहो नेति वासव नहुषो नेति तानाह तमसा मूढचेतनः
AI Translation: "Those mantras which Brahma has declared for sprinkling the cows, Are they the authority or not, O Vasava?" Nahusha said to them, "They are not," with a mind deluded by darkness.
ऋषय ऊचुः अधर्मे संप्रवृत्तस्त्वं धर्मं न प्रतिपद्यसे प्रमाणमेतदस्माकं पूर्वं प्रोक्तं महर्षिभिः
M. N. Dutt: The Rishis said You are going along the path of vice; you do not act virtuously. “That they are authentic" has before been said by our great Rishis.
अगस्त्य उवाच ततो विवदमानः स मुनिभिः सह वासव अथ मामस्पृशन्मूर्ध्नि पादेनाधर्मपीडितः
M. N. Dutt: Agastya said Then, O Vasava, he began quarreling with the Rishis and then the one, ruled by vice, touched my head with his feet.
तेनाभूद्धततेजाः स निःश्रीकश्च शचीपते ततस्तमहमाविग्नमवोचं भयपीडितम्
M. N. Dutt: By that act did the king lose his strength and became shorn of prosperity; and then as he was agitated and oppressed with fear and had lost the power of speech, I said-
यस्मात्पूर्वैः कृतं ब्रह्म ब्रह्मर्षिभिरनुष्ठितम् अदुष्टं दूषयसि वै यच्च मूर्ध्न्यस्पृशः पदा
AI Translation: Because it was performed by the former ones, and practiced by the Brahma-sages, You are defiling what is not defiled, and you are touching with your foot what should not be touched with the foot.
यच्चापि त्वमृषीन्मूढ ब्रह्मकल्पान्दुरासदान् वाहान्कृत्वा वाहयसि तेन स्वर्गाद्धतप्रभः
AI Translation: And because you have made the sages, who are difficult to approach, into your mounts, and ride them, you have lost your radiance from heaven.
ध्वंस पाप परिभ्रष्टः क्षीणपुण्यो महीतलम् दश वर्षसहस्राणि सर्परूपधरो महान् विचरिष्यसि पूर्णेषु पुनः स्वर्गमवाप्स्यसि
M. N. Dutt: For ten thousand years, assuming the form of a large snake, shall you roam about and at the completion of that period shall you again get into heaven.
Supplementary Passages:
5.17.15 K3.5 D8 T G M1 ins. after 15: M2, after 16ab: *114 दृष्ट्वा युधिष्ठिरं नाम तव वंशसमुद्भवम् T G M1.2 cont.: *115 निहतो ब्रह्मशापेन प्रपद्यस्व त्रिविष्टपम्
एवं भ्रष्टो दुरात्मा स देवराज्यादरिंदम दिष्ट्या वर्धामहे शक्र हतो ब्राह्मणकण्टकः
M. N. Dutt: The wicked-souled one was thus turned out of the kingdom of the gods, O you subduer of foes. It is lucky, O Shakra, that we are now on the ascendant and that thorn, of the Brahmanas, has been killed.
Supplementary Passages:
5.17.16 After 16ab, K (except K2) D8 ins.: *116 नहुषस्तु सुदुर्बुद्धिर्दुरात्मा पापचेतनः
त्रिविष्टपं प्रपद्यस्व पाहि लोकाञ्शचीपते जितेन्द्रियो जितामित्रः स्तूयमानो महर्षिभिः
M. N. Dutt: O you lord of Sachi, go you to heaven and rule over the world, after conquering your senses and subduing your enemies and being propitiated by the great Rishis.
शल्य उवाच ततो देवा भृशं तुष्टा महर्षिगणसंवृताः पितरश्चैव यक्षाश्च भुजगा राक्षसास्तथा
AI Translation: Shalya said: Then the gods, greatly pleased, surrounded by groups of great sages, And the ancestors, yakshas, serpents, and rakshasas,
गन्धर्वा देवकन्याश्च सर्वे चाप्सरसां गणाः सरांसि सरितः शैलाः सागराश्च विशां पते
AI Translation: gandharvas, celestial maidens, and all the groups of apsarases, lakes, rivers, mountains, and oceans, O Lord of the Earth,
उपगम्याब्रुवन्सर्वे दिष्ट्या वर्धसि शत्रुहन् हतश्च नहुषः पापो दिष्ट्यागस्त्येन धीमता दिष्ट्या पापसमाचारः कृतः सर्पो महीतले
M. N. Dutt: They all coming there said-it is fortunate, Oslayer of enemies, that you are on the ascendant; it is fortunate that the vicious Nahusha has been killed by the wise Agastya; it is fortunate that being of vicious habits has been turned into a snake in the earth.