Ep. 53 : The Fall of Nahusha: Indra's Return to Glory

Narrated by Kumar Varun. After ascending as ruler of the gods, Nahusha becomes corrupted by power, leading him to demand Indra's wife, Sachidevi, as his own. Sachidevi seeks refuge with the sage Brihaspati, who advises her to buy time. When Nahusha persists, Indra, in hiding, devises a plan with Sachidevi to exploit Nahusha's arrogance. She tricks Nahusha into having the revered rishis carry him in a palanquin, an act of pride that leads to his downfall. Agastya, one of the rishis, curses Nahusha to become a serpent as punishment for his hubris. With Nahusha deposed, Indra returns to power, restoring order in the heavens.Sources and bibliography:1. Vyasa, Maharishi. Mahabharata. Translated by C. Rajagopalachari, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1951.2. Vyasa, Maharishi. The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa. Translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli, 1883–1896. Available in public domain.3. Narayan, R.K. The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic. University of Chicago Press, 1978.4. Pattanaik, Devdutt. Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata. Penguin India, 2010.5. Menon, Ramesh. The Mahabharata: A Modern Rendering. Rupa Publications, 2004.6. Buck, William. Mahabharata. University of California Press, 1973.