SECTION –LIII
(Nalopakhyana Parva Continued)
Vrihadaswa said, "There was a king named
Nala, the son of Virasena. And he was strong, and handsome, and well-versed in
(the knowledge of) horses, and possessed of every desirable accomplishment. And
he was at the head of all the kings, even like the lord of the celestials. And
exalted over all, he resembled the sun in glory. And he was the king of the
Nishadhas, intent on the welfare of the Brahmanas, versed in the Vedas, and
possessed of heroism. And he was truth-telling, fond of dice, and the master of
a mighty army. And he was the beloved of men and women, and of great soul and
subdued passions. And he was the protector (of all), and the foremost of
bowmen, and like unto Manu himself. And like him, there was among the Vidarbhas
(a king named) Bhima, of terrible prowess, heroic and well-disposed towards his
subjects and possessed of every virtue. (But withal) he was childless. And with
a fixed mind, he tried his utmost for obtaining issue. And. O Bharata there
came unto him (once) a Brahmarshi named Damana. And, O king of kings, desirous
of having offspring, Bhima, versed in morality, with his queen gratified that
illustrious Rishi by a respectful reception. And Damana, well-pleased, granted
unto the king and his consort a boon in the form of a jewel of a daughter, and
three sons possessed of lofty souls and great fame. (And they were called
respectively) Damayanti, and Dama and Danta, and illustrious Damana. And the
three sons were possessed of every accomplishment and terrible mien and fierce
prowess. And the slender-waisted Damayanti, in beauty and brightness, in good
name and grace and luck, became celebrated all over the world. And on her
attaining to age, hundreds of hand-maids, and female slaves, decked in
ornaments, waited upon her like Sachi herself. And Bhima's daughter of
faultless features, decked in every ornament, shone in the midst of her
hand-maids, like the luminous lightning of the clouds. And the large-eyed
damsel was possessed of great beauty like that of Sree herself. And neither among
celestials, nor among Yakshas, nor among men was anybody possessed of such
beauty, seen or heard of before. And the beautiful maiden filled with gladness
the hearts of even the gods. And that tiger among men, Nala also had not his
peer in the (three) worlds: for in beauty he was like Kandarpa himself in his
embodied form. And moved by admiration, the heralds again and again celebrated
the praises of Nala before Damayanti and those of Damayanti before the ruler of
the Nishadhas. And repeatedly hearing of each other's virtues they conceived an
attachment towards each other not begot of sight, and that attachment, O son of
Kunti began to grow in strength. And then Nala was unable to control the love
that was in his bosom. And he began to pass much of his time in solitude in the
gardens adjoining the inner apartment (of his palace). And there he saw a
number of swans furnished with golden wings, wandering in those woods. And from
among them he caught one with his hands. And thereupon the sky-ranging one said
unto Nala. 'Deserve I not to be slain by thee. O king. I will do something that
is agreeable to thee. O king of the Nishadhas. I will speak of thee before
Damayanti in such a way that she will not ever desire to have any other person
(for her lord).' Thus addressed, the king liberated that swan. And those swans
then rose on their wings and went to the country of the Vidarbhas. And on
arriving at the city of the Vidarbhas the birds alighted before Damayanti, who
beheld them all. And Damayanti in the midst of her maids, beholding those birds
of extraordinary appearance was filled with delight, and strove without loss of
time to catch those coursers of the skies. And the swans at this, before that
bevy of beauties, fled in all directions. And those maidens there pursued the
birds, each (running) after one. And the swan after which Damayanti ran, having
led her to a secluded spot, addressed her in human speech, saying, O Damayanti,
there is a king amongst the Nishadhas named Nala. He is equal unto the Aswins
in beauty, not having his peer among men. Indeed, in comeliness, he is like
Kandarpa himself in his embodied form. O fair-complexioned one, O thou of
slender waist, if thou becomest his wife, thy existence and this thy beauty may
be of purpose. We have, indeed, beheld celestials and Gandharvas, and Nagas,
and Rakshasas, and men, but never saw we before any one like Nala. Thou also
art a jewel among thy sex, as Nala is the prime among men. The union of the
best with the best is happy.' Thus addressed by the swan. Damayanti, O monarch,
replied unto him there, saying, 'Do thou speak thus unto Nala also, 'Saying So
be it, to the daughter of Vidarbha, the oviparous one, O king, returned to the
country of the Nishadhas, and related everything unto Nala."
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