The Mahabharata, of, Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, BOOK 3, (Nalopakhyana Parva) SECTION LVII

 

The Mahabharata, of, Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, BOOK 3, (Nalopakhyana Parva)

SECTION LVII

"Vrihadaswa continued, 'Then at the sacred hour of the holy lunar day of

the auspicious season, king Bhima summoned the kings to the Swayamvara.

And hearing of it, all the lords of earth smit with love speedily came

thither, desirous of (possessing) Damayanti. And the monarchs entered the

amphitheatre decorated with golden pillars and a lofty portal arch, like

mighty lions entering the mountain wilds. And those lords of earth decked

with fragrant garlands and polished ear-rings hung with jewels seated

themselves on their several seats. And that sacred assembly of Kings,

graced by those tigers among men, resembled the Bhogavati swarming with

the Nagas, or a mountain cavern with tigers. And their arms were robust,

and resembling iron maces, and well-shaped, and graceful, and looking

like five-headed snakes. And graced with beautiful locks and fine noses

and eyes and brows, the countenance of the kings shone like stars in the

firmament. And (when the time came), Damayanti of beauteous face,

stealing the eyes and hearts of the princes by her dazzling light,

entered the hall. And the glances of those illustrious kings were

rivetted to those parts of her person where they had chanced to fall

first, without moving at all. And when, O Bharata, the names of the

monarchs were proclaimed, the daughter of Bhima saw five persons all

alike in appearance. And beholding them seated there, without difference

of any kind in form, doubt filled her mind, and she could not ascertain

which of them was king Nala. And at whomsoever (among them) she looked,

she regarded him to be the king of the Nishadhas. And filled with

anxiety, the beauteous one thought within herself, 'Oh, how shall I

distinguish the celestials, and how discern the royal Nala?' And thinking

thus, the daughter of Vidarbha became filled with grief. And, O Bharata,

recollecting the marks belonging to the celestials, of which she had

heard, she thought, 'Those attributes of the celestials, of which I have

heard from the aged, do not pertain to any of these deities present here

upon the earth.' And revolving the matter long in her mind, and

reflecting upon it repeatedly, she decided upon seeking the protection of

the gods themselves. And bowing down unto them with mind and speech, with

folded hands, she addressed them trembling, 'Since I heard the speech of

the swans, I chose the king of the Nishadhas as my lord. For the sake of

truth, O, let the gods reveal him to me. And as in thought or word I have

never swerved from him, O, let the gods, for the sake of that truth,

reveal him to me. And as the gods themselves have destined the ruler of

the Nishadhas to be my lord, O, let them, for the sake of that truth,

reveal him to me. And as it is for paying homage unto Nala that I have

adopted this vow, for the sake of that truth, O, let the gods reveal him

unto me, O, let the exalted guardians of the worlds assume their own

proper forms, so that I may know the righteous king.' Hearing these

piteous words of Damayanti, and ascertaining her fixed resolve, and

fervent love for the king of Nishadhas, the purity of her heart and her

inclination and regard and affection for Nala, the gods did as they had

been adjured, and assumed their respective attributes as best they could.

And thereupon she beheld the celestials unmoistened with perspiration,

with winkless eyes, and unfading garlands, unstained with dust, and

staying without touching the ground. And Naishadha stood revealed to his

shadow, his fading garlands, himself stained with dust and sweat, resting

on the ground with winking eyes. And, O Bharata, discerning the gods and

the virtuous Nala the daughter of Bhima chose Naishadha according to her

truth. And the large-eyed damsel then bashfully caught the hem of his

garment and placed round his neck a floral wreath of exceeding grace. And

when that fair-complexioned maiden had thus chosen Nala for her husband,

the kings suddenly broke out into exclamations of Oh! and Alas! And, O

Bharata, the gods and the great Rishis in wonder cried Excellent!

Excellent!, applauding the king the while. And, O Kauravya, the royal son

of Virasena, with heart filled with gladness, comforted the beauteous

Damayanti, saying, 'Since thou, O blessed one, hast chosen a mortal in

the presence of the celestials, know me for a husband even obedient to

thy command. And, O thou of sweet smiles, truly do I tell thee this that

as long as life continueth in this body of mine, I will remain thine and

thine alone. Damayanti also, with folded hands paid homage unto Nala in

words of like import. And the happy pair beholding Agni and the other

gods mentally sought their protection. And after the daughter of Bhima

had chosen Naishadha as her husband, the Lokapalas of exceeding

effulgence with pleased hearts, bestowed on Nala eight boons. And Sakra,

the lord of Sachi, bestowed on Nala the boon that he should be able to

behold his godship in sacrifices and that he should attain to blessed

legions thereafter, and Hutasana bestowed on him the boon of his own

presence whenever Naishadha wished, and regions also bright as himself.

And Yama granted him subtle taste in food as well as pre-eminence in

virtue. And the lord of waters granted Nala his own presence whenever he

desired, and also garlands of celestial fragrance. And thus each of them

bestowed upon him a couple of boons. And having bestowed these the gods

went to heaven. And the kings also, having witnessed with wonder

Damayanti's selection of Nala, returned delighted whence they had come.

And on the departure of those mighty monarchs, the high-souled Bhima,

well pleased, celebrated the wedding of Nala and Damayanti. And having

stayed there for a time according to his desire, Naishadha, the best of

men, returned to his own city with the permission of Bhima. And having

attained that pearl of a woman, the virtuous king, O monarch, began to

pass his days in joy, like the slayer of Vala and Vritra in the company

of Sachi. And resembling the sun in glory, the king, full of gladness,

began to rule his subjects righteously, and give them great satisfaction.

And like unto Yayati, the son of Nahusha, that intelligent monarch

celebrated the horse sacrifice and many other sacrifices with abundant

gifts to Brahmanas. And like unto a very god, Nala sported with Damayanti

in romantic woods and groves. And the high-minded king begat upon

Damayanti a son named Indrasena, and a daughter named Indrasena. And

celebrating sacrifice, and sporting (with Damayanti) thus, the king ruled

the earth abounding in wealth.'"

SECTION LVIII

"Vrihadaswa said, 'When the blazing guardians of the worlds were

returning after the daughter of Bhima had chosen Naishadha, on their way

they met Dwapara with Kali approaching towards them. And seeing Kali,

Sakra the slayer of Vala and Vritra, said, 'O Kali, say whither thou art

going with Dwapara.' And thereupon Kali replied unto Sakra, 'Going to

Damayanti's Swayamvara, will I obtain her (for my wife), as my heart is

fixed upon that damsel.' Hearing this, Indra said with a smile, 'That

Swayamvara is already ended. In our sight she hath chosen Nala for her

husband.' Thus answered by Sakra, Kali, that vilest of the celestials,

filled with wrath, addressing all those gods spake, 'Since in the

presence of the celestials she hath chosen a mortal for her lord, it is

meet that she should undergo a heavy doom.' Upon hearing these words of

Kali, the celestials answered, 'It is with our sanction that Damayanti

hath chosen Nala. What damsel is there that would not choose king Nala

endued with every virtue? Well-versed in all duties, always conducting

himself with rectitude, he hath studied the four Vedas together with the

Puranas that are regarded as the fifth. Leading a life of harmlessness

unto all creatures, he is truth-telling and firm in his vows, and in his

house the gods are ever gratified by sacrifices held according to the

ordinance. In that tiger among men--that king resembling a Lokapala, is

truth, and forbearance, and knowledge, and asceticism, and purity and

self-control, and perfect tranquillity of soul. O Kali, the fool that

wisheth to curse Nala bearing such a character, curseth himself, and

destroyeth himself by his own act. And, O Kali, he that seeketh to curse

Nala crowned with such virtues, sinketh into the wide bottomless pit of

hell rife with torments.' Having said this to Kali and Dwapara, the gods

went to heaven. And when the gods had gone away, Kali said unto Dwapara,

'I am ill able, O Dwapara, to suppress my anger. I shall possess Nala,

deprive him of his kingdom, and he shall no more sport with Bhima's

daughter. Entering the dice, it behoveth thee to help me.'"

SECTION LIX

"Vrihadaswa said, 'Having made this compact with Dwapara, Kali came to

the place where the king of the Nishadhas was. And always watching for a

hole, he continued to dwell in the country of the Nishadhas for a long

time. And it was in the twelfth year that Kali saw a hole. For one day

after answering the call of nature, Naishadha touching water said his

twilight prayers, without having previously washed his feet. And it was

through this (omission) that Kali entered his person. And having

possessed Nala, he appeared before Pushkara, and addressed him, saying,

'Come and play at dice with Nala. Through my assistance thou wilt surely

win at the play. And defeating king Nala and acquiring his kingdom, do

thou rule the Nishadhas.' Thus exhorted by Kali, Pushkara went to Nala.

And Dwapara also approached Pushkara, becoming the principal die called

Vrisha. And appearing before the warlike Nala, that slayer of hostile

heroes, Pushkara, repeatedly said, 'Let us play together with dice.' Thus

challenged in the presence of Damayanti, the lofty-minded king could not

long decline it. And he accordingly fixed the time for the play. And

possessed by Kali, Nala began to lose, in the game, his stakes in gold,

and silver, and cars with the teams thereof, and robes. And maddened at

dice, no one amongst his friends could succeed in dissuading that

represser of foes from the play that went on. And thereupon, O Bharata,

the citizens in a body, with the chief councillors, came thither to

behold the distressed monarch and make him desist. And the charioteer

coming to Damayanti spake to her of this, saying, 'O lady, the citizens

and officers of the state wait at the gate. Do thou inform the king of

the Nishadhas that the citizens have come here, unable to bear the

calamity that hath befallen their king conversant with virtue and

wealth.' Thereupon Bhima's daughter, overwhelmed with grief and almost

deprived of reason by it, spake unto Nala in choked accents, 'O king, the

citizens with the councillors of state, urged by loyalty, stay at the

gate desirous of beholding thee. It behoveth thee to grant them an

interview.' But the king, possessed by Kali, uttered not a word in reply

unto his queen of graceful glances, uttering thus her lamentations. And

at this, those councillors of state as also the citizens, afflicted with

grief and shame, returned to their homes, saying, 'He liveth not.' And, O

Yudhishthira, it was thus that Nala and Pushkara gambled together for

many months, the virtuous Nala being always worsted.'"

SECTION LX

Vrihadaswa said. "Bhima's daughter, the cool-headed Damayanti, seeing the

righteous king maddened and deprived of his senses at dice, was filled, O

king, with alarm and grief. And she thought the affair to be a serious

one with the king. And apprehensive of the calamity that threatened Nala,

yet seeking his welfare and at last understanding that her lord had lost

everything, she said unto her nurse and maid-servant Vrihatsena of high

fame, intent upon her good, dexterous in all duties, faithful and

sweet-speeched, these words, 'O Vrihatsena, go thou and summon the

councillors in the name of Nala, and tell them also what of wealth and

other things hath been lost and what remaineth.' The councillors then,

hearing of Nala's summons, said, 'This is fortunate for us' and

approached the king. And when the subjects in a body had (thus) come a

second time, the daughter of Bhima informed Nala of it. But the king

regarded her not. Finding her husband disregarding her words, Damayanti,

filled with shame, returned to her apartments. And hearing that the dice

were uniformly unfavourable to the virtuous Nala, and that he had lost

everything, she again spake unto her nurse, saying, 'O Vrihatsena, go

thou again in Nala's name to bring hither, O blessed one, the charioteer,

Varshneya. The matter at hand is very serious.' And Vrihatsena, hearing

those words of Damayanti caused Varshneya to be summoned by trusty

servants. And the blameless daughter of Bhima, acquainted with conduct

suitable to time and place, addressing soft words said according to the

occasion, 'Thou knowest how the king hath always behaved towards thee. He

is now in difficulty, and it behoveth thee to assist him. The more the

king loseth to Pushkara, the greater becometh his ardour for the play.

And as the dice fall obedient to Pushkara, it is seen that they are

adverse to Nala in the matter of the play. And absorbed in the play, he

heedeth not the words of his friends and relatives, nor even those of

mine. I do not think, however, that in this the high-souled Naishadha is

to blame, in as much as the king regarded not my words, being absorbed in

play. O Charioteer, I seek thy protection. Do my behest. My mind

misgiveth me. The king may come to grief. Yoking Nala's favourite horses

endued with the fleetness of the mind, do thou take these twins (my son

and daughter) on the car and hie thou to Kundina. Leaving the children

there with my kindred as also the car and the horses, either stay thou

there, or go to any other place as it listeth thee.' Varshneya, the

charioteer of Nala, then reported in detail these words of Damayanti unto

the chief officers of the king. And having settled (the matter) in

consultation with them, and obtaining their assent, O mighty monarch, the

charioteer started for Vidarbha, taking the children on that car. And

leaving there the boy Indrasena and the girl Indrasena, as also that best

of cars and those steeds, the charioteer, with a sad heart grieving for

Nala, bade farewell unto Bhima. And wandering for some time, he arrived

at the city of Ayodhya. And there he appeared with a sorrowful heart

before king Rituparna, and entered the service of that monarch as

charioteer."

SECTION LXI

"Vrihadaswa said, 'After Varshneya had gone away, Pushkara won from the

righteous Nala that latter's kingdom and what else of wealth he had. And

unto Nala, O king, who had lost his kingdom, Pushkara laughingly said,

'Let the play go on. But what stake hast thou now? Damayanti only

remaineth; all else of thine hath been won by me. Well, if thou likest,

that Damayanti be our stake now.' Hearing these words of Pushkara the

virtuous king felt as if his heart would burst in rage, but he spake not

a word. And gazing at Pushkara in anguish, king Nala of great fame took

all the ornaments off every part of his body. And attired in a single

piece of cloth, his body uncovered, renouncing all his wealth, and

enhancing the grief of friends, the king set out. And Damayanti, clad in

one piece of cloth, followed him behind as he was leaving the city. And

coming to the outskirts of the city, Nala stayed there for three nights

with his wife. But Pushkara, O king, proclaimed through the city that he

that should show any attention to Nala, would be doomed to death. And on

account of these words of Pushkara and knowing his malice towards Nala,

the citizens, O Yudhishthira, no longer showed him hospitable regards.

And unregarded though deserving of hospitable regards, Nala passed three

nights in the outskirts of the city, living on water alone. And afflicted

with hunger, the king went away in search of fruit and roots, Damayanti

following him behind. And in agony of famine, after many days, Nala saw

some birds with plumage of golden hue. And thereupon the mighty lord of

the Nishadhas thought within himself, 'These will be my banquet today and

also my wealth.' And then he covered them with the cloth he had on--when

bearing up that garment of his, the birds rose up to the sky. And

beholding Nala nude and melancholy, and standing with face turned towards

the ground, those rangers of the sky addressed him, saying, 'O thou of

small sense, we are even those dice. We had come hither wishing to take

away thy cloth, for it pleased us not that thou shouldst depart even with

thy cloth on.' And finding himself deprived of his attire, and knowing

also that the dice were departing (with it), the virtuous Nala, O king,

thus spake unto Damayanti, 'O faultless one, they through whose anger I

have been despoiled of my kingdom, they through whose influence

distressed and afflicted with hunger, I am unable to procure sustenance,

they for whom the Nishadhas offered me not any hospitality, they, O timid

one, are carrying off my cloth, assuming the form of birds. Fallen into

this dire disaster, I am afflicted with grief and deprived of my senses,

I am thy lord, do thou, therefore, listen to the words I speak for thy

good. These many roads lead to the southern country, passing by (the city

of) Avanti and the Rikshavat mountains. This is that mighty mountain

called Vindhya; yon, the river Payasvini running sea-wards, and yonder

are the asylums of the ascetics, furnished with various fruit and roots.

This road leadeth to the country of the Vidarbhas--and that, to the

country of the Kosalas. Beyond these roads to the south is the southern

country.' Addressing Bhima's daughter, O Bharata, he distressed king Nala

spake those words unto Damayanti over and over again. Thereupon afflicted

with grief, in a voice choked with tears, Damayanti spake unto Naishadha

these piteous words, 'O king, thinking of thy purpose, my heart

trembleth, and all my limbs become faint. How can I go, leaving thee in

the lone woods despoiled of thy kingdom and deprived of thy wealth,

thyself without a garment on, and worn with hunger and toil? When in the

deep woods, fatigued and afflicted with hunger, thou thinkest of thy

former bliss, I will, O great monarch, soothe thy weariness. In every

sorrow there is no physic equal unto the wife, say the physicians. It is

the truth, O Nala, that I speak unto thee.' Hearing those words of his

queen, Nala replied, 'O slender-waisted Damayanti, it is even as thou

hast said. To a man in distress, there is no friend or medicine that is

equal unto a wife. But I do not seek to renounce thee, wherefore, O timid

one, dost thou dread this? O faultless one, I can forsake myself but thee

I cannot forsake.' Damayanti then said, 'If thou dost not, O mighty king,

intend to forsake me, why then dost thou point out to me the way to the

country of the Vidarbhas? I know, O king, that thou wouldst not desert

me. But, O lord of the earth, considering that thy mind is distracted,

thou mayst desert me. O best of men, thou repeatedly pointest out to me

the way and it is by this, O god-like one, that thou enhancest my grief.

If it is thy intention that I should go to my relatives, then if it

pleaseth thee, both of us will wend to the country of the Vidarbhas. O

giver of honours, there the king of the Vidarbhas will receive thee with

respect. And honoured by him, O king, thou shall live happily in our

home.'"