बृहदश्व उवाच
तस्मिन्न् अन्तर्हिते नागे प्रययौ नैषधो नलः ॥
ऋतुपर्णस्य नगरं प्राविशद् दशमे ऽहनि ॥
स राजानम् उपातिष्ठद् बाहुको ऽहम् इति ब्रुवन् ॥
अश्वानां वाहने युक्तः पृथिव्यां नास्ति मत्समः ॥
अर्थकृच्छ्रेषु चैवाहं प्रष्टव्यो नैपुणेषु च ॥
अन्नसंस्कारम् अपि च जानाम्य् अन्यैर् विशेषतः ॥
यानि शिल्पानि लोके ऽस्मिन् यच् चाप्य् अन्यत् सुदुष्करम् ॥
सर्वं यतिष्ये तत् कर्तुम् ऋतुपर्ण भरस्व माम् ॥
ऋतुपर्ण उवाच
वस बाहुक भद्रं ते सर्वम् एतत् करिष्यसि ॥
शीघ्रयाने सदा बुद्धिर् धीयते मे विशेषतः ॥
स त्वम् आतिष्ठ योगं तं येन शीघ्रा हया मम ॥
भवेयुर् अश्वाध्यक्षो ऽसि वेतनं ते शतं शताः ॥
त्वाम् उपस्थास्यतश् चेमौ नित्यं वार्ष्णेयजीवलौ ॥
एताभ्यां रंस्यसे सार्धं वस वै मयि बाहुक ॥
बृहदश्व उवाच
एवम् उक्तो नलस् तेन न्यवसत् तत्र पूजितः ॥
ऋतुपर्णस्य नगरे सहवार्ष्णेयजीवलः ॥
bṛhadaśva uvāca
tasminn antarhite nāge prayayau naiṣadho nalaḥ ||
ṛtuparṇasya nagaraṃ prāviśad daśame 'hani ||
sa rājānam upātiṣṭhad bāhuko 'ham iti bruvan ||
aśvānāṃ vāhane yuktaḥ pṛthivyāṃ nāsti matsamaḥ ||
arthakṛcchreṣu caivāhaṃ praṣṭavyo naipuṇeṣu ca ||
annasaṃskāram api ca jānāmy anyair viśeṣataḥ ||
yāni śilpāni loke 'smin yac cāpy anyat suduṣkaram ||
sarvaṃ yatiṣye tat kartum ṛtuparṇa bharasva mām ||
ṛtuparṇa uvāca
vasa bāhuka bhadraṃ te sarvam etat kariṣyasi ||
śīghrayāne sadā buddhir dhīyate me viśeṣataḥ ||
sa tvam ātiṣṭha yogaṃ taṃ yena śīghrā hayā mama ||
bhaveyur aśvādhyakṣo 'si vetanaṃ te śataṃ śatāḥ ||
tvām upasthāsyataś cemau nityaṃ vārṣṇeyajīvalau ||
etābhyāṃ raṃsyase sārdhaṃ vasa vai mayi bāhuka ||
bṛhadaśva uvāca
evam ukto nalas tena nyavasat tatra pūjitaḥ ||
ṛtuparṇasya nagare sahavārṣṇeyajīvalaḥ ||
Bṛhadaśva said: "When the serpent had vanished, Nala of Niṣadha went on his way, and on the tenth day he entered the city of Ṛtuparṇa. He came before the king and said: 'I am Bāhuka. There is no one on earth equal to me in the handling of horses. In difficult matters and in fine skills I may be consulted, and I know the preparation of food better than others. Whatever crafts exist in this world, and whatever else is most difficult, all of it I shall strive to do. Ṛtuparṇa, maintain me.' Ṛtuparṇa said: 'Dwell here, Bāhuka, blessings upon you. All this you shall do. My mind is set above all on swift driving: arrange things so that my horses become swift. You shall be master of the horses; your wage shall be a hundred hundreds. Vārṣṇeya and Jīvala shall always attend upon you; with them you shall find delight, so dwell with me, Bāhuka.' Thus addressed by him, Nala, honored by the king, settled there in the city of Ṛtuparṇa together with Vārṣṇeya and Jīvala."
9f8e88af6386 · published Jul 16, 2026, 4:58:37 PM UTC
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Nala enters another man's court not as a king but as a servant. His dignity is now hidden within his skill: he preserves himself through craft while fate prepares his return.