03050001a AsId rAjA nalo nAma vIrasenasuto balI 'There was a king named nala, the son of Virasena. And he was strong,
03050001c upapanno guNair iSTai rUpavAn azvakovidaH and handsome, and well-versed in (the knowledge of) horses, and possessed of every desirable accomplishment.
03050002a atiSThan manujendrANAmM mUrdhni devapatir yathA And he was at the head of all the kings, even like the lord of the celestials.
03050002c upary upari sarveSAm Aditya iva tejasA And exalted over all, he resembled the sun in glory.
03050003a brahmaNyo vedavic chUro niSadheSu mahIpatiH And he was the king of the niSadhas, intent on the welfare of the brAhmaNas, versed in the Vedas, and possessed of heroism.
03050003c akSapriyasH satyavAdI mahAn akSauhiNIpatiH And he was truth-telling, fond of dice, and the master of a mighty army.
03050004a Ipsito varanArINAm udArasH saMyatendriyaH And he was the beloved of men and women, and of great soul and subdued passions.
03050004c rakSitA dhanvinAM zreSThasH sAkSAd iva manusH svayam And he was the protector (of all), and the foremost of bowmen, and like unto Manu himself.
03050005a tathaivAsId vidarbheSu bhImo bhImaparAkramaH And like him, there was among the Vidarbhas (a king named) bhIma, of terrible prowess,
03050005c zUrasH sarvaguNair yuktaH prajAkAmaH sa cAprajaH heroic and well-disposed towards his subjects and possessed of every virtue. (But withal) he was childless.
03050006a sa prajArthe paraM yatnam akarot susamAhitaH And with a fixed mind, he tried his utmost for obtaining issue.
03050006c tam abhyagacchad brahmarSir damano nAma bhArata And, O bharata there came unto him (once) a Brahmarshi named Damana.
03050007a taM sa bhImaH prajAkAmas toSayAmAsa dharmavit And, O king of kings, desirous of having offspring, bhIma, versed in morality, with his queen gratified
03050007c mahiSyA saha rAjendra satkAreNa suvarcasam that illustrious RSi by a respectful reception.
03050008a tasmai prasanno damanasH sabhAryAya varanM dadau And Damana, well-pleased, granted unto the king and his consort a boon
03050008c kanyAratnaGM kumArAMz ca trIn udArAn mahAyazAH in the form of a jewel of a daughter, and three sons possessed of lofty souls and great fame.
03050009a damayantInM damanM dAntanM damanaJM ca suvarcasam (And they were called respectively) damayantI, and dama and dAnta, and illustrious damana.
03050009c upapannAn guNaisH sarvair bhImAn bhImaparAkramAn And the three sons were possessed of every accomplishment and terrible mien and fierce prowess.
03050010a damayantI tu rUpeNa tejasA yazasA zriyA And the slender-waisted damayantI, in beauty and brightness, in good name and grace and luck,
03050010c saubhAgyena ca lokeSu yazaH prApa sumadhyamA became celebrated all over the world.
03050011a atha tAM vayasi prApte dAsInAM samalaGMkRtam And on her attaining to age, hundreds of hand-maids,
03050011c zataM sakhInAJM ca tathA paryupAste zacIm iva and female slaves, decked in ornaments, waited upon her like zacI herself.
03050012a tatra sma bhrAjate bhaimI sarvAbharaNabhUSitA And bhIma's daughter of faultless features, decked in every ornament,
03050012c sakhImadhye 'navadyAGgI vidyut saudAminI yathA shone in the midst of her hand-maids, like the luminous lightning of the clouds.
03050012e atIva rUpasamMpannA zrIr ivAyatalocanA And the large-eyed damsel was possessed of great beauty like that of zrI herself.
03050013a na deveSu na yakSeSu tAdRg rUpavatI kva cit And neither among celestials, nor among yakSas,
03050013c mAnuSeSv api cAnyeSu dRSTapUrvA na ca zrutA nor among men was anybody possessed of such beauty, seen or heard of before.
03050013e cittapramAthinI bAlA devAnAm api sundarI And the beautiful maiden filled with gladness the hearts of even the gods.
03050014a nalaz ca narazArdUlo rUpeNApratimo bhuvi And that tiger among men, nala also had not his peer in the (three) worlds:
03050014c kandarpa iva rUpeNa mUrtimAn abhavat svayam for in beauty he was like Kandarpa himself in his embodied form.
03050015a tasyAsH samIpe tu nalamM prazazaMsuH kutUhalAt And moved by admiration, the heralds again and again celebrated the praises of nala before damayantI
03050015c naiSadhasya samIpe tu damayantImM punaH punaH and those of damayantI before the ruler of the niSadhas.
03050016c anyonyamM prati kaunteya sa vyavardhata hRcchayaH And repeatedly hearing of each other's virtues they conceived an attachment towards each other not begot of sight, and that attachment, O son of kuntI began to grow in strength.
03050017a azaknuvan nalaH kAmaM tadA dhArayituM hRdA And then nala was unable to control the love that was in his bosom.
03050017c antaHpurasamIpasthe vana Aste rahogataH And he began to pass much of his time in solitude in the gardens adjoining the inner apartment (of his palace).
03050018a sa dadarza tadA haMsAJ jAtarUpaparicchadAn And there he saw a number of swans furnished with golden wings,
03050018c vane vicaratAnM teSAm ekaJM jagrAha pakSiNam wandering in those woods. And from among them he caught one with his hands.
03050019a tato 'ntarikSago vAcaM vyAjahAra tadA nalam And thereupon the sky-ranging one said unto nala --
03050019c na hantavyo 'smi te rAjan kariSyAmi hi te priyam 'Deserve I not to be slain by thee. O king. I will do something that is agreeable to thee.
03050020a damayantIsakAze tvAGM kathayiSyAmi naiSadha O king of the niSadhas. I will speak of thee before damayantI
03050020c yathA tvad anyamM puruSanM na sA maMsyati karhi cit in such a way that she will not ever desire to have any other person (for her lord).'
03050021a evam uktas tato haMsam utsasarja mahIpatiH Thus addressed, the king liberated that swan.
03050021c te tu haMsAsH samutpatya vidarbhAn agamaMs tataH And those swans then rose on their wings and went to the country of the Vidarbhas.
03050022a vidarbhanagarIGM gatvA damayantyAs tadAntike And on arriving at the city of the vidarbhas
03050022c nipetus te garutmantasH sA dadarzAtha tAn khagAn the birds alighted before damayantI, who beheld them all.
03050023a sA tAn adbhutarUpAn vai dRSTvA sakhigaNAvRtA And damayantI in the midst of her maids, beholding those birds of extraordinary appearance
03050023c hRSTA grahItuGM khagamAMs tvaramANopacakrame was filled with delight, and strove without loss of time to catch those coursers of the skies.
03050024a atha haMsA visasRpusH sarvataH pramadAvane And the swans at this, before that bevy of beauties, fled in all directions.
03050024c ekaikazas tataH kanyAs tAn haMsAn samupAdravan And those maidens there pursued the birds, each (running) after one.
03050025a damayantI tu yaM haMsaM samupAdhAvad antike And the swan after which damayantI ran, having led her to a secluded spot,
03050025c sa mAnuSIGM giraGM kRtvA damayantIm athAbravIt addressed her in human speech, saying, O damayantI, there is a king amongst the niSadhas named nala.
03050026a damayanti nalo nAma niSadheSu mahIpatiH He is equal unto the azvins in beauty, not having his peer among men.
03050026c azvinosH sadRzo rUpe na samAs tasya mAnuSAH
03050027a tasya vai yadi bhAryA tvamM bhavethA varavarNini Indeed, in comeliness, he is like Kandarpa himself in his embodied form.
03050027c saphalanM te bhavej janma rUpaJM cedaM sumadhyame O fair-complexioned one, O thou of slender waist, if thou becomest his wife, thy existence and this thy beauty may be of purpose.
03050028a vayaM hi devagandharvamanuSyoragarAkSasAn We have, indeed, beheld celestials and gandharvas, and Nagas, and rAkSasas, and men,
03050028c dRSTavanto na cAsmAbhir dRSTapUrvas tathAvidhaH but never saw we before any one like nala.
03050029a tvaJM cApi ratnanM nArINAnM nareSu ca nalo varaH Thou also art a jewel among thy sex, as nala is the prime among men.
03050029c viziSTAyA viziSTena saGMgamo guNavAn bhavet The union of the best with the best is happy.'
03050030a evam uktA tu haMsena damayantI vizAmM pate Thus addressed by the swan. damayantI, O monarch,
03050030c abravIt tatra taM haMsanM tvam apy evanM nalaM vada replied unto him there, saying, 'Do thou speak thus unto nala also,
03050031a tathety uktvANDajaH kanyAM vaidarbhasya vizAM pate 'Saying So be it, to the daughter of Vidarbha, the oviparous one, O king,
03050031c punar Agamya niSadhAn nale sarvanM nyavedayat returned to the country of the niSadhas, and related everything unto nala.'
