रथघोषं तु तं श्रुत्वा हयसंग्रहणं च तत् ॥
वार्ष्णेयश् चिन्तयाम् आस बाहुकस्य हयज्ञताम् ॥
किं नु स्यान् मातलिर् अयं देवराजस्य सारथिः ॥
तथा हि लक्षणं वीरे बाहुके दृश्यते महत् ॥
शालिहोत्रो ऽथ किं नु स्याद् धयानां कुलतत्त्ववित् ॥
मानुषं समनुप्राप्तो वपुः परमशोभनम् ॥
उताहो स्विद् भवेद् राजा नलः परपुरंजयः ॥
सो ऽयं नृपतिर् आयात इत्य् एवं समचिन्तयत् ॥
अथ वा यां नलो वेद विद्यां ताम् एव बाहुकः ॥
तुल्यं हि लक्षये ज्ञानं बाहुकस्य नलस्य च ॥
अपि चेदं वयस् तुल्यम् अस्य मन्ये नलस्य च ॥
नायं नलो महावीर्यस् तद्विद्यस् तु भविष्यति ॥
प्रच्छन्ना हि महात्मानश् चरन्ति पृथिवीम् इमाम् ॥
दैवेन विधिना युक्ताः शास्त्रोक्तैश् च विरूपणैः ॥
भवेत् तु मतिभेदो मे गात्रवैरूप्यतां प्रति ॥
प्रमाणात् परिहीनस् तु भवेद् इति हि मे मतिः ॥
वयःप्रमाणं तत्तुल्यं रूपेण तु विपर्ययः ॥
नलं सर्वगुणैर् युक्तं मन्ये बाहुकम् अन्ततः ॥
एवं विचार्य बहुशो वार्ष्णेयः पर्यचिन्तयत् ॥
हृदयेन महाराज पुण्यश्लोकस्य सारथिः ॥
ऋतुपर्णस् तु राजेन्द्र बाहुकस्य हयज्ञताम् ॥
चिन्तयन् मुमुदे राजा सहवार्ष्णेयसारथिः ॥
बलं वीर्यं तथोत्साहं हयसंग्रहणं च तत् ॥
परं यत्नं च संप्रेक्ष्य परां मुदम् अवाप ह ॥
rathaghoṣaṃ tu taṃ śrutvā hayasaṃgrahaṇaṃ ca tat ||
vārṣṇeyaś cintayām āsa bāhukasya hayajñatām ||
kiṃ nu syān mātalir ayaṃ devarājasya sārathiḥ ||
tathā hi lakṣaṇaṃ vīre bāhuke dṛśyate mahat ||
śālihotro 'tha kiṃ nu syād dhayānāṃ kulatattvavit ||
mānuṣaṃ samanuprāpto vapuḥ paramaśobhanam ||
utāho svid bhaved rājā nalaḥ parapuraṃjayaḥ ||
so 'yaṃ nṛpatir āyāta ity evaṃ samacintayat ||
atha vā yāṃ nalo veda vidyāṃ tām eva bāhukaḥ ||
tulyaṃ hi lakṣaye jñānaṃ bāhukasya nalasya ca ||
api cedaṃ vayas tulyam asya manye nalasya ca ||
nāyaṃ nalo mahāvīryas tadvidyas tu bhaviṣyati ||
pracchannā hi mahātmānaś caranti pṛthivīm imām ||
daivena vidhinā yuktāḥ śāstroktaiś ca virūpaṇaiḥ ||
bhavet tu matibhedo me gātravairūpyatāṃ prati ||
pramāṇāt parihīnas tu bhaved iti hi me matiḥ ||
vayaḥpramāṇaṃ tattulyaṃ rūpeṇa tu viparyayaḥ ||
nalaṃ sarvaguṇair yuktaṃ manye bāhukam antataḥ ||
evaṃ vicārya bahuśo vārṣṇeyaḥ paryacintayat ||
hṛdayena mahārāja puṇyaślokasya sārathiḥ ||
ṛtuparṇas tu rājendra bāhukasya hayajñatām ||
cintayan mumude rājā sahavārṣṇeyasārathiḥ ||
balaṃ vīryaṃ tathotsāhaṃ hayasaṃgrahaṇaṃ ca tat ||
paraṃ yatnaṃ ca saṃprekṣya parāṃ mudam avāpa ha ||
Hearing the rumble of the chariot and seeing the handling of the horses, Vārṣṇeya began to ponder Bāhuka's knowledge: "Could this be Mātali, charioteer of the king of the gods? Great signs are visible in the hero Bāhuka. Or is this Śālihotra, who knows the true nature of horses in every family, having taken on a beautiful human form? Or could it perhaps be King Nala himself, conqueror of enemy cities?" So he pondered: "Has this king come to us?" Or perhaps Bāhuka knows the very same science that Nala knew: the knowledge of Bāhuka and of Nala seems equal to me. And his age too, I think, is equal to Nala's. But this is not the mighty Nala himself -- he must be one who shares his science. For great souls, concealed by fate, wander this earth in altered forms, as the scriptures declare. Let his deformity of body trouble my judgment; his stature is less than it should be, yet his age is alike, though his form is different. And yet, weighing all his qualities, in the end I think: Bāhuka is Nala." Thus did Vārṣṇeya, once the charioteer of Puṇyaśloka, ponder many times over in his heart, great king. And Ṛtuparṇa too, lord of kings, pondering Bāhuka's mastery of horses, rejoiced together with Vārṣṇeya the charioteer: seeing his strength, his valor, his zeal, his handling of the horses, and his supreme effort, he was filled with the greatest joy.
4680e6e23358 · publicado 16 jul 2026, 16:58:37 UTC
Disponible enRUENPasa de verso en verso con
Recognition begins not with the face but with the deed. Vārṣṇeya sees Nala's hand in the very way Bāhuka holds the horses and the road.