03058001a tatas tu yAte vArSNeye puNyazlokasya dIvyataH 'bRhadazva said, 'After Varshneya had gone away, Pushkara won from the righteous nala
03058001c puSkareNa hRtaM rAjyaM yac cAnyad vasu kiJM cana that latter's kingdom and what else of wealth he had.
03058002a hRtarAjyanM nalaM rAjan prahasan puSkaro 'bravIt And unto nala, O king, who had lost his kingdom, Pushkara laughingly said,
03058002c dyUtamM pravartatAmM bhUyaH pratipANo 'sti kas tava 'Let the play go on. But what stake hast thou now?
03058003a ziSTA te damayanty ekA sarvam anyad dhRtamM mayA Damayanti only remaineth; all else of thine hath been won by me.
03058003c damayantyAH paNaH sAdhu vartatAM yadi manyase Well, if thou likest, that Damayanti be our stake now.'
03058004a puSkareNaivam uktasya puNyazlokasya manyunA Hearing these words of Pushkara the virtuous king
03058004c vyadIryateva hRdayanM na cainaGM kiJM cid abravIt felt as if his heart would burst in rage, but he spake not a word.
03058005a tataH puSkaram Alokya nalaH paramamanyumAn And gazing at Pushkara in anguish, king nala
03058005c utsRjya sarvagAtrebhyo bhUSaNAni mahAyazAH of great fame took all the ornaments off every part of his body.
03058006a ekavAsA asaMvItasH suhRcchokavivardhanaH And attired in a single piece of cloth, his body uncovered, and enhancing the grief of friends,
03058006c nizcakrAma tadA rAjA tyaktvA suvipulAM zriyam the king set out, renouncing all his wealth.
03058007a damayanty ekavastrA taGM gacchantamM pRSThato 'nviyAt And Damayanti, clad in one piece of cloth, followed him behind as he was leaving the city.
03058007c sa tayA bAhyatasH sArdhanM trirAtranM naiSadho 'vasat And coming to the outskirts of the city, nala stayed there for three nights with his wife.
03058008a puSkaras tu mahArAja ghoSayAmAsa vai pure But Pushkara, O king, proclaimed through the city
03058008c nale yasH samyag AtiSThet sa gacched vadhyatAmM mama that he that should show any attention to nala, would be doomed to death.
03058009a puSkarasya tu vAkyena tasya vidveSaNena ca
03058009c paurA na tasmin satkAraGM kRtavanto yudhiSThira And on account of these words of Pushkara and knowing his malice towards nala, the citizens, O yudhiSThira, no longer showed him hospitable regards.
03058010a sa tathA nagarAbhyAze satkArArho na satkRtaH
03058010c trirAtram uSito rAjA jalamAtreNa vartayan And unregarded though deserving of hospitable regards, nala passed three nights in the outskirts of the city, living on water alone.
03058011a kSudhA samMpIDyamAnas tu nalo bahutithe 'hani And afflicted with hunger, the king went away in search of fruit and roots, Damayanti following him behind. And in agony of famine, after many days,
03058011c apazyac chakunAn kAMz cid dhiraNyasadRzacchadAn nala saw some birds with plumage of golden hue.
03058012a sa cintayAmAsa tadA niSadhAdhipatir balI And thereupon the mighty lord of the Nishadhas thought within himself,
03058012c asti bhakSo mamAdyAyaM vasu cedamM bhaviSyati 'These will be my banquet today and also my wealth.'
03058013a tatas tAn antarIyeNa vAsasA samavAstRNot
03058013c tasyAntarIyam AdAya jagmusH sarve vihAyasA And then he covered them with the cloth he had on--when bearing up that garment of his, the birds rose up to the sky.
03058014a utpatantaH khagAs te tu vAkyam Ahus tadA nalam
03058014c dRSTvA digvAsasamM bhUmau sthitanM dInam adhomukham And beholding nala nude and melancholy, and standing with face turned towards the ground, those rangers of the sky addressed him, saying,
03058015a vayam akSAsH sudurbuddhe tava vAso jihIrSavaH 'O thou of small sense, we are even those dice. We had come hither wishing to take away thy cloth,
03058015c AgatA na hi naH prItiH savAsasi gate tvayi for it pleased us not that thou shouldst depart even with thy cloth on.'
03058016a tAn samIkSya gatAn akSAn AtmAnaJM ca vivAsasam And finding himself deprived of his attire, and knowing also that the dice were departing (with it),
03058016c puNyazlokas tato rAjA damayantIm athAbravIt the virtuous king, thus spake unto Damayanti --
03058017a yeSAmM prakopAd aizvaryAt pracyuto 'ham anindite 'O faultless one, they through whose anger I have been despoiled of my kingdom,
03058017c prANayAtrAnM na vinde ca duHkhitaH kSudhayArditaH they through whose influence distressed and afflicted with hunger,
03058018a yeSAGM kRte na satkAram akurvan mayi naiSadhAH
03058018c ta ime zakunA bhUtvA vAso 'py apaharanti me I am unable to procure sustenance, they for whom the Nishadhas offered me not any hospitality, they, O timid one, are carrying off my cloth, assuming the form of birds.
03058019a vaiSamyamM paramamM prApto duHkhito gatacetanaH Fallen into this dire disaster, I am afflicted with grief and deprived of my senses,
03058019c bhartA te 'hanM nibodhedaM vacanaM hitam AtmanaH I am thy lord, do thou, therefore, listen to the words I speak for thy good.
03058020a ete gacchanti bahavaH panthAno dakSiNApatham These many roads lead to the southern country,
03058020c avantIm RkSavantaJM ca samatikramya parvatam passing by (the city of) avantI and the Beary Mountains.
03058021a eSa vindhyo mahAzailaH payoSNI ca samudragA This is that mighty mountain called Vindhya; yon, the river Payasvini running sea-wards,
03058021c AzramAz ca maharSINAm amI puSpaphalAnvitAH and yonder are the asylums of the ascetics, furnished with various fruit and roots.
03058022a eSa panthA vidarbhANAm ayaGM gacchati kosalAn This road leadeth to the country of the Vidarbhas--and that, to the country of the Kosalas.
03058022c ataH paraM ca dezo 'yaM dakSiNe dakSiNApathaH Beyond these roads to the south is the southern country.' Addressing bhIma's daughter, O bharata, he distressed king nala spake those words unto Damayanti over and over again.
03058023a tatasH sA bASpakalayA vAcA duHkhena karzitA Thereupon afflicted with grief, in a voice choked with tears,
03058024a udvepate me hRdayaM sIdanty aGgAni sarvazaH My heart trembleth, and all my limbs become faint,
03058024c tava pArthiva saGMkalpaJM cintayantyAH punaH punaH O king, thinking of thy purpose.
03058025a hRtarAjyaM hRtadhanaM vivastraGM kSucchramAnvitam Despoiled of thy kingdom and deprived of thy wealth, naked, and worn with hunger and toil,
03058025c katham utsRjya gaccheyam ahanM tvAM vijane vane how can I go, leaving thee in the lone woods?
03058026a zrAntasya te kSudhArtasya cintayAnasya tat sukham You being fatigued and afflicted with hunger, thinking of thy former bliss,
03058026c vane ghore mahArAja nAzayiSyAmi te klamam in the deep woods, I will, O great monarch, soothe thy weariness.
03058027a na ca bhAryAsamaGM kiJM cid vidyate bhiSajAmM matam There is no medicine equal unto the wife, say the physicians,
03058027c auSadhaM sarvaduHkheSu satyam etad bravImi te for every sorrow. It is the truth, O nala, that I speak unto thee.'
03058028 nala uvAca Hearing those words of his queen, nala replied,
03058028a evam etad yathAttha tvanM damayanti sumadhyame 'O slender-waisted Damayanti, it is even as thou hast said.
03058028c nAsti bhAryAsamamM mitranM narasyArtasya bheSajam To a man in distress, there is no friend or medicine that is equal unto a wife.
03058029a na cAhanM tyaktukAmas tvAGM kimarthamM bhIru zaGkase But I do not seek to renounce thee, wherefore, O timid one, dost thou dread this?
03058029c tyajeyam aham AtmAnanM na tv eva tvAm anindite O faultless one, I can forsake myself but thee I cannot forsake.'
03058030 damayanty uvAca Damayanti then said,
03058030a yadi mAnM tvamM mahArAja na vihAtum ihecchasi 'If thou dost not, O mighty king, intend to forsake me,
03058030c tat kimarthaM vidarbhANAmM panthAsH samupadizyate why then dost thou point out to me the way to the country of the Vidarbhas?
03058031a avaimi cAhanM nRpate na tvamM mAnM tyaktum arhasi I know, O king, that thou wouldst not desert me.
03058031c cetasA tv apakRSTena mAnM tyajethA mahApate But, O lord of the earth, considering that thy mind is distracted, thou mayst desert me.
03058032a panthAnaM hi mamAbhIkSNam AkhyAsi narasattama O best of men, thou repeatedly pointest out to me the way
03058032c ato nimittaM zokamM me vardhayasy amaraprabha and it is by this, O god-like one, that thou enhancest my grief.
03058033a yadi cAyam abhiprAyas tava rAjan vrajed iti If it is thy intention that I should go to my relatives,
03058033c sahitAv eva gacchAvo vidarbhAn yadi manyase then if it pleaseth thee, both of us will wend to the country of the Vidarbhas.
03058034a vidarbharAjas tatra tvAmM pUjayiSyati mAnada
03058034c tena tvamM pUjito rAjan sukhaM vatsyasi no gRhe O giver of honours, there the king of the Vidarbhas will receive thee with respect. And honoured by him, O king, thou shall live happily in our home.''
