क्षुधा संपीड्यमानस् तु नलो बहुतिथे ऽहनि ॥
अपश्यच् छकुनान् कांश् चिद् धिरण्यसदृशच्छदान् ॥
स चिन्तयाम् आस तदा निषधाधिपतिर् बली ॥
अस्ति भक्षो ममाद्यायं वसु चेदं भविष्यति ॥
ततस् तान् अन्तरीयेण वाससा समवास्तृणोत् ॥
तस्यान्तरीयम् आदाय जग्मुः सर्वे विहायसा ॥
उत्पतन्तः खगास् ते तु वाक्यम् आहुस् तदा नलम् ॥
दृष्ट्वा दिग्वाससं भूमौ स्थितं दीनम् अधोमुखम् ॥
वयम् अक्षाः सुदुर्बुद्धे तव वासो जिहीर्षवः ॥
आगता न हि नः प्रीतिः सवाससि गते त्वयि ॥
तान् समीक्ष्य गतान् अक्षान् आत्मानं च विवाससम् ॥
पुण्यश्लोकस् ततो राजा दमयन्तीम् अथाब्रवीत् ॥
येषां प्रकोपाद् ऐश्वर्यात् प्रच्युतो ऽहम् अनिन्दिते ॥
प्राणयात्रां न विन्दे च दुःखितः क्षुधयार्दितः ॥
येषां कृते न सत्कारम् अकुर्वन् मयि नैषधाः ॥
त इमे शकुना भूत्वा वासो ऽप्य् अपहरन्ति मे ॥
वैषम्यं परमं प्राप्तो दुःखितो गतचेतनः ॥
भर्ता ते ऽहं निबोधेदं वचनं हितम् आत्मनः ॥
एते गच्छन्ति बहवः पन्थानो दक्षिणापथम् ॥
अवन्तीम् ऋक्षवन्तं च समतिक्रम्य पर्वतम् ॥
एष विन्ध्यो महाशैलः पयोष्णी च समुद्रगा ॥
आश्रमाश् च महर्षीणाम् अमी पुष्पफलान्विताः ॥
एष पन्था विदर्भाणाम् अयं गच्छति कोसलान् ॥
अतः परं च देशो ऽयं दक्षिणे दक्षिणापथः ॥
kṣudhā saṃpīḍyamānas tu nalo bahutithe 'hani ||
apaśyac chakunān kāṃś cid dhiraṇyasadṛśacchadān ||
sa cintayām āsa tadā niṣadhādhipatir balī ||
asti bhakṣo mamādyāyaṃ vasu cedaṃ bhaviṣyati ||
tatas tān antarīyeṇa vāsasā samavāstṛṇot ||
tasyāntarīyam ādāya jagmuḥ sarve vihāyasā ||
utpatantaḥ khagās te tu vākyam āhus tadā nalam ||
dṛṣṭvā digvāsasaṃ bhūmau sthitaṃ dīnam adhomukham ||
vayam akṣāḥ sudurbuddhe tava vāso jihīrṣavaḥ ||
āgatā na hi naḥ prītiḥ savāsasi gate tvayi ||
tān samīkṣya gatān akṣān ātmānaṃ ca vivāsasam ||
puṇyaślokas tato rājā damayantīm athābravīt ||
yeṣāṃ prakopād aiśvaryāt pracyuto 'ham anindite ||
prāṇayātrāṃ na vinde ca duḥkhitaḥ kṣudhayārditaḥ ||
yeṣāṃ kṛte na satkāram akurvan mayi naiṣadhāḥ ||
ta ime śakunā bhūtvā vāso 'py apaharanti me ||
vaiṣamyaṃ paramaṃ prāpto duḥkhito gatacetanaḥ ||
bhartā te 'haṃ nibodhedaṃ vacanaṃ hitam ātmanaḥ ||
ete gacchanti bahavaḥ panthāno dakṣiṇāpatham ||
avantīm ṛkṣavantaṃ ca samatikramya parvatam ||
eṣa vindhyo mahāśailaḥ payoṣṇī ca samudragā ||
āśramāś ca maharṣīṇām amī puṣpaphalānvitāḥ ||
eṣa panthā vidarbhāṇām ayaṃ gacchati kosalān ||
ataḥ paraṃ ca deśo 'yaṃ dakṣiṇe dakṣiṇāpathaḥ ||
On another day, worn down by hunger, Nala saw birds with golden wings and thought: "Today this will be food for me, and perhaps wealth as well." He covered them with his outer garment, but they carried it off into the sky. Rising up, the birds spoke to Nala as he stood on the ground naked, wretched, and with face bowed down: "We are the dice, foolish one, come to take your garment; it displeased us that you were leaving still clothed." Seeing the dice flown away and himself without clothing, Punyashloka said to Damayanti: "Blameless one, through the wrath of those powers I have been cast down from my dominion, I find no means of sustaining life, and I suffer, tormented by hunger. Because of them the Nishadhas showed me no honor, and now, having become birds, they have stolen even my garment. I have reached the utmost distress, I am sorrowful and have lost my clarity of mind. I am your husband: hear this word, which is for your own good. Here many roads run southward, crossing Avanti and Mount Rikshavant. Here is the great mountain Vindhya, and the river Payoshni flowing to the sea; here are the hermitages of the great sages, full of flowers and fruits. This road leads to Vidarbha, this one to Kosala; beyond this lies the southern country and the southern path."
554b34d9bb22 · प्रकाशित 16 जुल॰ 2026, 4:54:09 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
Nala does not yet say outright "leave me," but he is already pointing out the roads. When a person comes to see himself as the cause of ruin for someone dear, care can twist into an attempt to push that person away.