ताम् अकस्मान् मृगव्याधो विचरन् गहने वने ॥
आक्रन्दतीम् उपश्रुत्य जवेनाभिससार ह ॥
तां स दृष्ट्वा तथा ग्रस्ताम् उरगेणायतेक्षणाम् ॥
त्वरमाणो मृगव्याधः समभिक्रम्य वेगितः ॥
मुखतः पातयाम् आस शस्त्रेण निशितेन ह ॥
निर्विचेष्टं भुजंगं तं विशस्य मृगजीवनः ॥
मोक्षयित्वा च तां व्याधः प्रक्षाल्य सलिलेन च ॥
समाश्वास्य कृताहाराम् अथ पप्रच्छ भारत ॥
कस्य त्वं मृगशावाक्षि कथं चाभ्यागता वनम् ॥
कथं चेदं महत् कृच्छ्रं प्राप्तवत्य् असि भामिनि ॥
दमयन्ती तथा तेन पृच्छ्यमाना विशां पते ॥
सर्वम् एतद् यथावृत्तम् आचचक्षे ऽस्य भारत ॥
tām akasmān mṛgavyādho vicaran gahane vane ||
ākrandatīm upaśrutya javenābhisasāra ha ||
tāṃ sa dṛṣṭvā tathā grastām urageṇāyatekṣaṇām ||
tvaramāṇo mṛgavyādhaḥ samabhikramya vegitaḥ ||
mukhataḥ pātayām āsa śastreṇa niśitena ha ||
nirviceṣṭaṃ bhujaṃgaṃ taṃ viśasya mṛgajīvanaḥ ||
mokṣayitvā ca tāṃ vyādhaḥ prakṣālya salilena ca ||
samāśvāsya kṛtāhārām atha papraccha bhārata ||
kasya tvaṃ mṛgaśāvākṣi kathaṃ cābhyāgatā vanam ||
kathaṃ cedaṃ mahat kṛcchraṃ prāptavaty asi bhāmini ||
damayantī tathā tena pṛcchyamānā viśāṃ pate ||
sarvam etad yathāvṛttam ācacakṣe 'sya bhārata ||
Suddenly a hunter, roaming the dense forest, heard her cry and swiftly ran toward her. Seeing the long-eyed woman seized by the serpent, he hastened forward and with a sharp weapon cut through the serpent's mouth, killing it, then freed Damayanti, washed her with water, comforted her, gave her food, and asked: 'Whose are you, doe-eyed one? How did you come to this forest? How did you, lovely one, fall into such great distress?' Damayanti, thus questioned by him, told him everything just as it had happened.
d4294f202202 · published Jul 16, 2026, 4:54:09 PM UTC
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Rescue comes through an ordinary man of the forest, not through a king or a god. Yet the trial is not over: help without a pure heart quickly changes its face.