बृहदश्व उवाच
सा निहत्य मृगव्याधं प्रतस्थे कमलेक्षणा ॥
वनं प्रतिभयं शून्यं झिल्लिकागणनादितम् ॥
सिंहव्याघ्रवराहर्क्षरुरुद्वीपिनिषेवितम् ॥
नानापक्षिगणाकीर्णं म्लेच्छतस्करसेवितम् ॥
शालवेणुधवाश्वत्थतिन्दुकेङ्गुदकिंशुकैः ॥
अर्जुनारिष्टसंछन्नं चन्दनैश् च सशाल्मलैः ॥
जम्ब्वाम्रलोध्रखदिरशाकवेत्रसमाकुलम् ॥
काश्मर्यामलकप्लक्षकदम्बोदुम्बरावृतम् ॥
बदरीबिल्वसंछन्नं न्यग्रोधैश् च समाकुलम् ॥
प्रियालतालखर्जूरहरीतकबिभीतकैः ॥
नानाधातुशतैर् नद्धान् विविधान् अपि चाचलान् ॥
निकुञ्जान् पक्षिसंघुष्टान् दरीश् चाद्भुतदर्शनाः ॥
नदीः सरांसि वापीश् च विविधांश् च मृगद्विजान् ॥
सा बहून् भीमरूपांश् च पिशाचोरगराक्षसान् ॥
पल्वलानि तडागानि गिरिकूटानि सर्वशः ॥
सरितः सागरांश् चैव ददर्शाद्भुतदर्शनान् ॥
यूथशो ददृशे चात्र विदर्भाधिपनन्दिनी ॥
महिषान् वराहान् गोमायून् ऋक्षवानरपन्नगान् ॥
तेजसा यशसा स्थित्या श्रिया च परया युता ॥
वैदर्भी विचरत्य् एका नलम् अन्वेषती तदा ॥
नाबिभ्यत् सा नृपसुता भैमी तत्राथ कस्य चित् ॥
दारुणाम् अटवीं प्राप्य भर्तृव्यसनकर्शिता ॥
विदर्भतनया राजन् विललाप सुदुःखिता ॥
भर्तृशोकपरीताङ्गी शिलातलसमाश्रिता ॥
bṛhadaśva uvāca
sā nihatya mṛgavyādhaṃ pratasthe kamalekṣaṇā ||
vanaṃ pratibhayaṃ śūnyaṃ jhillikāgaṇanāditam ||
siṃhavyāghravarāharkṣarurudvīpiniṣevitam ||
nānāpakṣigaṇākīrṇaṃ mlecchataskarasevitam ||
śālaveṇudhavāśvatthatindukeṅgudakiṃśukaiḥ ||
arjunāriṣṭasaṃchannaṃ candanaiś ca saśālmalaiḥ ||
jambvāmralodhrakhadiraśākavetrasamākulam ||
kāśmaryāmalakaplakṣakadambodumbarāvṛtam ||
badarībilvasaṃchannaṃ nyagrodhaiś ca samākulam ||
priyālatālakharjūraharītakabibhītakaiḥ ||
nānādhātuśatair naddhān vividhān api cācalān ||
nikuñjān pakṣisaṃghuṣṭān darīś cādbhutadarśanāḥ ||
nadīḥ sarāṃsi vāpīś ca vividhāṃś ca mṛgadvijān ||
sā bahūn bhīmarūpāṃś ca piśācoragarākṣasān ||
palvalāni taḍāgāni girikūṭāni sarvaśaḥ ||
saritaḥ sāgarāṃś caiva dadarśādbhutadarśanān ||
yūthaśo dadṛśe cātra vidarbhādhipanandinī ||
mahiṣān varāhān gomāyūn ṛkṣavānarapannagān ||
tejasā yaśasā sthityā śriyā ca parayā yutā ||
vaidarbhī vicaraty ekā nalam anveṣatī tadā ||
nābibhyat sā nṛpasutā bhaimī tatrātha kasya cit ||
dāruṇām aṭavīṃ prāpya bhartṛvyasanakarśitā ||
vidarbhatanayā rājan vilalāpa suduḥkhitā ||
bhartṛśokaparītāṅgī śilātalasamāśritā ||
Brihadashva said: 'Having slain the hunter, lotus-eyed Damayanti went onward through a terrifying, empty forest resounding with the chirring of crickets. There were lions, tigers, boars, bears, antelopes, leopards, flocks of birds, mlecchas and robbers; the forest was thick with shala trees, bamboo, ashvattha, tinduka, kingshuka, sandalwood, jambu, mango, banyan, date palms and many other trees. She saw mountains veined with various ores, caves, rivers, lakes, pools, beasts and birds, dreadful pishachas, serpents and rakshasas, marshes, ponds, peaks, streams and seas. Endowed with radiance, fame, steadfastness and beauty, the princess of Vidarbha wandered alone, searching for Nala. The daughter of Bhima, wasted by her husband's misfortune, feared no one in that harsh wilderness. Reaching a stone slab, overcome with grief for her husband, she began to weep bitterly.'
9d2ae38c3908 · प्रकाशित 16 जुल॰ 2026, 4:58:37 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
The forest becomes an outward image of her inner state: everything around her is dangerous and alien, yet her love for Nala is stronger than fear. Faithfulness gives meaning to her journey even amid this desolation.