गच्छन्ती सा चिरात् कालात् पुरम् आसादयन् महत् ॥
सायाह्ने चेदिराजस्य सुबाहोः सत्यवादिनः ॥
वस्त्रार्धकर्तसंवीता प्रविवेश पुरोत्तमम् ॥
तां विवर्णां कृशां दीनां मुक्तकेशीम् अमार्जनाम् ॥
उन्मत्ताम् इव गच्छन्तीं ददृशुः पुरवासिनः ॥
प्रविशन्तीं तु तां दृष्ट्वा चेदिराजपुरीं तदा ॥
अनुजग्मुस् ततो बाला ग्रामिपुत्राः कुतूहलात् ॥
सा तैः परिवृतागच्छत् समीपं राजवेश्मनः ॥
तां प्रासादगतापश्यद् राजमाता जनैर् वृताम् ॥
सा जनं वारयित्वा तं प्रासादतलम् उत्तमम् ॥
आरोप्य विस्मिता राजन् दमयन्तीम् अपृच्छत ॥
एवम् अप्य् असुखाविष्टा बिभर्षि परमं वपुः ॥
भासि विद्युद् इवाभ्रेषु शंस मे कासि कस्य वा ॥
न हि ते मानुषं रूपं भूषणैर् अपि वर्जितम् ॥
असहाया नरेभ्यश् च नोद्विजस्य् अमरप्रभे ॥
gacchantī sā cirāt kālāt puram āsādayan mahat ||
sāyāhne cedirājasya subāhoḥ satyavādinaḥ ||
vastrārdhakartasaṃvītā praviveśa purottamam ||
tāṃ vivarṇāṃ kṛśāṃ dīnāṃ muktakeśīm amārjanām ||
unmattām iva gacchantīṃ dadṛśuḥ puravāsinaḥ ||
praviśantīṃ tu tāṃ dṛṣṭvā cedirājapurīṃ tadā ||
anujagmus tato bālā grāmiputrāḥ kutūhalāt ||
sā taiḥ parivṛtāgacchat samīpaṃ rājaveśmanaḥ ||
tāṃ prāsādagatāpaśyad rājamātā janair vṛtām ||
sā janaṃ vārayitvā taṃ prāsādatalam uttamam ||
āropya vismitā rājan damayantīm apṛcchata ||
evam apy asukhāviṣṭā bibharṣi paramaṃ vapuḥ ||
bhāsi vidyud ivābhreṣu śaṃsa me kāsi kasya vā ||
na hi te mānuṣaṃ rūpaṃ bhūṣaṇair api varjitam ||
asahāyā narebhyaś ca nodvijasy amaraprabhe ||
After a long time, in the evening, she reached the great city of the truthful king of Chedi, Subahu, and entered it wearing half of a torn garment. The townspeople saw her pale, thin, wretched, with disheveled hair, unwashed, as though mad. As she entered the city of Chedi, children followed her out of curiosity. Surrounded by them, she approached the royal palace. The queen mother, who was on the terrace, saw her amid the people; she drove back the crowd, raised Damayanti up to the upper terrace, and asked in astonishment: "Even overcome by misfortune, you bear supreme beauty and shine like lightning among the clouds. Tell me — who are you, and whose? Your form is not human, though you are without ornaments; you are alone, yet you do not fear men, O one who shines like an immortal."
a3a2630c6955 · publicado 16 jul 2026, 16:58:37 UTC
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Even filth and misfortune cannot hide Damayanti's nobility. In Chedi she is recognized first not by name, but by an indestructible dignity.