SECTION –LIV
(Nalopakhyana Parva Continued)
"Vrihadaswa said, 'O Bharata, hearing those
words of the swan, Damayanti thenceforth lost all peace of mind on account of
Nala. And heaving frequent sighs she was filled with anxiety, and became
melancholy and pale-faced and lean. And with her heart possessed by the god of
love, she soon lost colour, and with her upturned gaze and modes of
abstraction, looked like one demented. And she lost all inclination for beds
and seats and object of enjoyment. And she ceased to lie down by day or night,
always weeping with exclamation of Oh! and Alas! And beholding her uneasy and
fallen into that condition, her hand-maids represented, O king, the matter of
her illness unto the ruler of Vidarbha by indirect hints. And king Bhima,
hearing of this from the handmaids of Damayanti, regarded the affair of his
daughter to be serious. And he asked himself, 'Why is it that my daughter
seemeth to be so ill now?' And the king, reflecting by himself that his
daughter had attained to puberty, concluded that Damayanti's Swayamvara should
take place. And the monarch, O exalted one, (invited) all the rulers of the
earth, saying, Ye heroes, know that Damayanti's Swayamvara is at hand, And all
the kings, hearing of Damayanti's Swayamvara, came unto Bhima, agreeable to his
message, filling the earth with the clatter of their cars, the roar of their
elephants, and the neighing of their horses, and accompanied with their
fine-looking battalions decked in ornaments and graceful garlands. And the
mighty-armed Bhima paid due reverence unto those illustrious monarchs. And duly
honoured by him they took up their quarters there.'
"And at the juncture, those foremost of
celestial Rishis possessed of great splendour, of great wisdom and great
vows--namely, Narada and Parvata--having arrived in course of their wandering
at the regions of Indra entered the mansion of the lord of the immortals,
receiving proper worship. And Maghavat having worshipped them reverentially,
inquired after their undisturbed peace and welfare as regards all respects. And
Narada said, 'O lord, O divine one, peace attendeth us in every respect. And, O
Maghavat, peace attendeth also O exalted one, the kings of the whole world.'
"Vrihadaswa continued. 'Hearing the words of
Narada the slaver of Vala and Vritra said, 'Those righteous rulers of the earth
who fight renouncing all desire of life, and who meet death when their time is
come by means of weapons, without flying from the field,--theirs is this
region, everlasting unto them and granting all desires, even as it is to me.
Where be those Kshatriya heroes? I do not see those kings approach (now) Where
are my favourite guests?' Thus addressed by Sakra, Narada replied, 'Listen, O
Mahavat, why seest not thou the kings (now)? The ruler of the Vidarbhas hath a
daughter--the celebrated Damayanti. In beauty she transcendeth all the women of
the earth. Her Swayamvara, O Sakra, will take place shortly. Thither are going
all the kings and Princes from all directions. And all the lords of the earth
desire to have that pearl of the earth,--desire to have her eagerly, O slaver
of Vala and Vritra.' And while they were talking thus, those foremost of the
immortals, the Lokapalas with Agni among them, appeared before the lord of the
celestials. And all of them heard the words of Narada fraught with grave
import. And as soon as they heard them, they exclaimed in rapture, We also will
go there. And, O mighty monarch, accompanied by their attendants and mounted on
their (respective) vehicles, they set out for the country of Vidarbhas, whither
(had gone) all the kings. And, O son of Kunti, the high-souled king Nala also
hearing of that concourse of kings, set out with a cheerful heart, full of
Damayanti's love. And (it came to pass) that the gods saw Nala on the way
treading on the earth. And his form owing to its beauty was like that of the
god of love himself. And beholding him resplendent as the sun, the Lokapalas
were filled with astonishment at his wealth of beauty, and abandoned their
intention. And, O king, leaving their cars in the sky the dwellers of heaven
alighted from the welkin and spake unto the ruler of the Nishadhas, saying, 'O
foremost of monarchs ruling the Nishadhas, O Nala, thou art devoted to truth.
Do thou help us. O best of men, be thou our messenger.'"
.jpg)
 ){kind=link}
0 Comments
If you have any Misunderstanding Please let me know