03054001a atha kAle zubhe prApte tithau puNye kSaNe tathA 'bRhadazva continued, 'Then at the sacred hour of the holy lunar day of the auspicious season,
03054001c AjuhAva mahIpAlAn bhImo rAjA svayaMvare king bhIma summoned the kings to the svayaMvara.
03054002a tac chrutvA pRthivIpAlAsH sarve hRcchayapIDitAH And hearing of it, all the lords of earth smit with love
03054002c tvaritAsH samupAjagmur damayantIm abhIpsavaH speedily came thither, desirous of (possessing) damayantI.
03054003c vivizus te mahAraGganM nRpAsH siMhA ivAcalam And the monarchs entered the amphitheatre decorated with golden pillars and a lofty portal arch, like mighty lions entering the mountain wilds.
03054004c surabhisragdharAsH sarve sumRSTamaNikuNDalAH And those lords of earth decked with fragrant garlands and polished ear-rings hung with jewels seated themselves on their several seats.
03054005a tAM rAjasamitimM pUrNAnM nAgair bhogavatIm iva
03054005c samMpUrNAmM puruSavyAghrair vyAghrair giriguhAm iva And that sacred assembly of Kings, graced by those tigers among men, resembled the Bhogavati swarming with the Nagas, or a mountain cavern with tigers.
03054006a tatra sma pInA dRzyante bAhavaH parighopamAH And their arms were robust, and resembling iron maces,
03054006c AkAravantasH suzlakSNAH paJcazIrSA ivoragAH and well-shaped, and graceful, and looking like five-headed snakes.
03054007a sukezAntAni cArUNi sunAsAni zubhAni ca And graced with beautiful locks and fine noses and eyes and brows,
03054007c mukhAni rAjJAM zobhante nakSatrANi yathA divi the countenance of the kings shone like stars in the firmament.
03054008a damayantI tato raGgamM praviveza zubhAnanA And (when the time came), damayantI of beauteous face entered the hall,
03054008c muSNantI prabhayA rAjJAJM cakSUMSi ca manAMsi ca stealing the eyes and hearts of the princes with her dazzling light.
03054009a tasyA gAtreSu patitA teSAnM dRSTir mahAtmanAm And the glances of those illustrious kings
03054009c tatra tatraiva saktAbhUn na cacAla ca pazyatAm were rivetted to those parts of her person where they had chanced to fall first, without moving at all.
03054010aa tatasH saGMkIrtyamAneSu rAjJAnM nAmasu punar bhArata And when, O bhArata, the names of the monarchs were proclaimed,
03054010c dadarza bhaimI puruSAn paJca tulyAkRtIn iva the daughter of bhIma saw five persons all alike in appearance.
03054011a tAn samIkSya tatasH sarvAn nirvizeSAkRtIn sthitAn And beholding them seated there, without difference of any kind in form,
03054011c sanMdehAd atha vaidarbhI nAbhyajAnAn nalanM nRpam doubt filled her mind, and she could not ascertain which of them was king nala.
03054011e yaM yaM hi dadRze teSAnM tanM tamM mene nalanM nRpam And at whomsoever (among them) she looked, she regarded him to be the king of the Nishadhas.
03054012a sA cintayantI buddhyAtha tarkayAmAsa bhAminI And filled with anxiety, the beauteous one thought within herself,
03054012c kathanM nu devAJ jAnIyAGM kathaM vidyAnM nalanM nRpam 'Oh, how shall I distinguish the celestials, and how discern the royal nala?'
03054013a evaM saJMcintayantI sA vaidarbhI bhRzaduHkhitA And thinking thus, the daughter of Vidarbha became filled with grief.
03054013c zrutAni devaliGgAni cintayAmAsa bhArata And, O bharata, recollecting the marks belonging to the celestials, of which she had heard, she thought,
