बृहदश्व उवाच
श्रुत्वा वचः सुदेवस्य ऋतुपर्णो नराधिपः ॥
सान्त्वयञ् श्लक्ष्णया वाचा बाहुकं प्रत्यभाषत ॥
विदर्भान् यातुम् इच्छामि दमदन्त्याः स्वयंवरम् ॥
एकाह्ना हयतत्त्वज्ञ मन्यसे यदि बाहुक ॥
एवम् उक्तस्य कौन्तेय तेन राज्ञा नलस्य ह ॥
व्यदीर्यत मनो दुःखात् प्रदध्यौ च महामनाः ॥
दमयन्ती भवेद् एतत् कुर्याद् दुःखेन मोहिता ॥
अस्मदर्थे भवेद् वायम् उपायश् चिन्तितो महान् ॥
नृशंसं बत वैदर्भी कर्तुकामा तपस्विनी ॥
मया क्षुद्रेण निकृता पापेनाकृतबुद्धिना ॥
स्त्रीस्वभावश् चलो लोके मम दोषश् च दारुणः ॥
स्याद् एवम् अपि कुर्यात् सा विवशा गतसौहृदा ॥
मम शोकेन संविग्ना नैराश्यात् तनुमध्यमा ॥
न चैवं कर्हि चित् कुर्यात् सापत्या च विशेषतः ॥
यद् अत्र तथ्यं पथ्यं च गत्वा वेत्स्यामि निश्चयम् ॥
ऋतुपर्णस्य वै कामम् आत्मार्थं च करोम्य् अहम् ॥
इति निश्चित्य मनसा बाहुको दीनमानसः ॥
कृताञ्जलिर् उवाचेदम् ऋतुपर्णं नराधिपम् ॥
प्रतिजानामि ते सत्यं गमिष्यसि नराधिप ॥
एकाह्ना पुरुषव्याघ्र विदर्भनगरीं नृप ॥
bṛhadaśva uvāca
śrutvā vacaḥ sudevasya ṛtuparṇo narādhipaḥ ||
sāntvayañ ślakṣṇayā vācā bāhukaṃ pratyabhāṣata ||
vidarbhān yātum icchāmi damadantyāḥ svayaṃvaram ||
ekāhnā hayatattvajña manyase yadi bāhuka ||
evam uktasya kaunteya tena rājñā nalasya ha ||
vyadīryata mano duḥkhāt pradadhyau ca mahāmanāḥ ||
damayantī bhaved etat kuryād duḥkhena mohitā ||
asmadarthe bhaved vāyam upāyaś cintito mahān ||
nṛśaṃsaṃ bata vaidarbhī kartukāmā tapasvinī ||
mayā kṣudreṇa nikṛtā pāpenākṛtabuddhinā ||
strīsvabhāvaś calo loke mama doṣaś ca dāruṇaḥ ||
syād evam api kuryāt sā vivaśā gatasauhṛdā ||
mama śokena saṃvignā nairāśyāt tanumadhyamā ||
na caivaṃ karhi cit kuryāt sāpatyā ca viśeṣataḥ ||
yad atra tathyaṃ pathyaṃ ca gatvā vetsyāmi niścayam ||
ṛtuparṇasya vai kāmam ātmārthaṃ ca karomy aham ||
iti niścitya manasā bāhuko dīnamānasaḥ ||
kṛtāñjalir uvācedam ṛtuparṇaṃ narādhipam ||
pratijānāmi te satyaṃ gamiṣyasi narādhipa ||
ekāhnā puruṣavyāghra vidarbhanagarīṃ nṛpa ||
Bṛhadaśva said: "Having heard the words of Sudeva, King Ṛtuparṇa said gently to Bāhuka: 'I wish to go to Vidarbha, to the svayaṃvara of Damayantī. What do you think, knower of horses -- can it be done in a single day?' When the king said this, the heart of the great-souled Nala broke with grief, and he pondered: 'Perhaps Damayantī, clouded by suffering, is capable of this; or perhaps, for my sake, she has devised a great scheme. A cruel deed the suffering princess of Vidarbha wishes to do, deceived as she was by me, base and sinful. A woman's nature in this world is fickle, and my fault is terrible; from grief and despair over me she may indeed do so. Yet she would never do this, especially having children. What is true and what is right I shall learn once I go there. I shall fulfill Ṛtuparṇa's wish and my own purpose.' Having resolved thus in his mind, Bāhuka, his heart sorrowful, joined his palms and said to King Ṛtuparṇa: 'I truly promise you, O king: in a single day you shall reach the city of Vidarbha.'"
527bdacd1684 · published Jul 16, 2026, 4:58:37 PM UTC
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A false report reaches its mark: Nala stirs to life within Bāhuka. His doubt is painful, but in it appears, for the first time, a movement toward testing and toward meeting her again.