03063001a utsRjya damayantInM tu nalo rAjA vizAmM pate 'O monarch, having deserted damayantI, king nala
03063001c dadarza dAvanM dahyantamM mahAntaGM gahane vane saw a mighty conflagration that was raging in that dense forest.
03063002a tatra zuzrAva madhye 'gnau zabdamM bhUtasya kasya cit And in the midst of that conflagration, he heard the voice of some creature,
03063002c abhidhAva nalety uccaiH puNyazloketi cAsakRt repeatedly crying aloud, 'O righteous nala, come hither.'
03063003a mA bhair iti nalaz coktvA madhyam agneH pravizya tam And answering, 'Fear not,' he entered into the midst of the fire and
03063003c dadarza nAgarAjAnaM zayAnaGM kuNDalIkRtam beheld a mighty Naga lying in coils.
03063004a sa nAgaH prAJjalir bhUtvA vepamAno nalaM tadA And the Naga with joined hands, and trembling, spake unto nala,
03063004c uvAca viddhi mAM rAjan nAgaGM karkoTakanM nRpa saying, 'know, O king, that I am a naga, karkoTaka by name.
03063005a mayA pralabdho brahmarSir anAgAsH sumahAtapAH I had deceived the great RSi Narada of high ascetic merit,
03063005c tena manyuparItena zapto 'smi manujAdhipa and by him have I been cursed in wrath, O king of men,
03063005e tiSTha tvaM sthAvara iva yAvad eva nalaH kvacit even in words such as these: 'Stay thou here like an immobile thing, until one nala taketh thee hence.
note: ( shoudnt that be sthAvara like in 06032025c ? )
03063005g ito netA hi tatra tvaM zApAn mokSyasi matkRtAt And, indeed, on the spot to which he will carry thee, there shalt thou be freed from my curse.
03063006a tasya zApAn na zaknomi padAd vicalitumM padam It is for that curse of his that I am unable to stir one step.
03063006c upadekSyAmi te zreyas trAtum arhati mAmM bhavAn I will instruct thee in respect of thy welfare. It behoveth thee to deliver me.
03063007a sakhA ca te bhaviSyAmi matsamo nAsti pannagaH I will be thy friend. There is no snake equal to me.
03063007c laghuz ca te bhaviSyAmi zIghram AdAya gaccha mAm I will be light in thy hands. Taking me up, do thou speedily go hence.'
03063008a evam uktvA sa nAgendro babhUvAGguSThamAtrakaH Having said this, that prince of snakes became as small as the thumb.
03063008c taGM gRhItvA nalaH prAyAd uddezaM dAvavarjitam And taking him up, nala went to a spot free from fire.
03063009a AkAzadezam AsAdya vimuktaGM kRSNavartmanA Having reached an open spot where there was no fire,
03063009c utsraSTukAmanM tanM nAgaH punaH karkoTako 'bravIt nala intended to drop the serpent, upon which Karkotaka again addressed him, saying,
03063010a padAni gaNayan gaccha svAni naiSadha kAni cit 'O king of the Nishadhas, proceed thou yet, counting a few steps of thine;
03063010c tatra te 'hamM mahArAja zreyo dhAsyAmi yat param meanwhile, O mighty-armed one, I will do thee great good.'
03063011a tatasH saGMkhyAtum Arabdham adazad dazame pade And as nala began to count his steps, the snake bit him at the tenth step.
03063011c tasya daSTasya tad rUpaGM kSipram antaradhIyata And, lo! As he was bit, his form speedily underwent a change.
03063012a sa dRSTvA vismitas tasthAv AtmAnaM vikRtanM nalaH And beholding his change of form, nala was amazed.
03063012c svarUpadhAriNanM nAganM dadarza ca mahIpatiH And the king saw the snake also assume his own form.
03063013a tataH karkoTako nAgaH sAntvayan nalam abravIt And the snake Karkotaka, comforting nala, spake unto him,
03063013c mayA te 'ntarhitaM rUpanM na tvA vidyur janA iti 'I have deprived thee of thy beauty, so that people may not recognise thee.
03063014a yatkRte cAsi vikRto duHkhena mahatA nala And, O nala, he by whom thou hast been deceived and cast into distress,
03063014c viSeNa sa madIyena tvayi duHkhaM nivatsyati shall dwell in thee tortured by my venom.
03063015a viSeNa saMvRtair gAtrair yAvat tvAnM na vimokSyati And, with thy every limb filled with my venom, for as long as he doth not leave thee,
03063015c tAvat tvayi mahArAja duHkhaM vai sa nivatsyati o monarch, he will have to dwell in pain in thy body
03063016c krodhAd asUyayitvA taM rakSA me bhavataH kRtA And, O ruler of men I have saved from the hands of him who from anger and resentment deceived thee, perfectly innocent though thou art and undeserving of wrong.
03063017a na te bhayanM naravyAghra daMSTribhyazH zatruto 'pi vA
03063017c brahmavidbhyaz ca bhavitA matprasAdAn narAdhipa And, O tiger among men, through my grace, thou shalt have (no longer) any fear from animals with fangs from enemies, and from brAhmaNas also versed in the Vedas, O king!
03063018a rAjan viSanimittA ca na te pIDA bhaviSyati Nor shalt thou, O monarch, feel pain on account of my poison.
03063018c saGMgrAmeSu ca rAjendra zazvaj jayam avApsyasi And, O foremost of kings, thou shalt be ever victorious in battle.
03063019c samIpam RtuparNasya sa hi vedAkSanaipuNam
03063019e ayodhyAnM nagarIM ramyAm adyaiva niSadhezvara This very day, O prince, O lord of Nishadhas, go to the delightful city of Ayodhya, and present thyself before RtuparNa skilled in gambling, saying, 'I am a charioteer, bAhuka by name.'
03063020a sa te 'kSahRdayanM dAtA rAjAzvahRdayena vai And that king will give thee his skill in dice for thy knowledge of horses.
03063020c ikSvAkukulajazH zrImAn mitraJM caiva bhaviSyati Sprung from the line of Ikswaku, and possessed of prosperity, he will be thy friend.
03063021a bhaviSyasi yadAkSajJazH zreyasA yokSyase tadA When thou wilt be an adept at dice, thou shalt then have prosperity.
03063021c sameSyasi ca dArais tvamM mA sma zoke manaH kRthAH Thou wilt also meet with thy wife and thy children. Therefore, let not thy mind be occupied by sorrow.
03063021e rAjyena tanayAbhyAJM ca satyam etad bravImi te and regain thy kingdom. I tell thee this truly.
03063022a svarUpaJM ca yadA draSTum icchethAs tvanM narAdhipa And, O lord of men, when thou shouldst desire to behold thy proper form,
03063022c saMsmartavyas tadA te 'haM vAsaz cedanM nivAsayeH thou shouldst remember me, and wear this garment.
03063023a anena vAsasAcchannasH svarUpamM pratipatsyase Upon wearing this, thou shalt get back thy own form.'
03063023c ity uktvA pradadAv asmai divyaM vAsoyuganM tadA And saying this, that Naga then gave unto nala two pieces of celestial cloth.
03063024a evanM nalaM samAdizya vAso dattvA ca kaurava And, O son of the kuru race, having thus instructed nala, and presented him with the attire,
03063024c nAgarAjas tato rAjaMs tatraivAntaradhIyata the king of snakes, O monarch, made himself invisible there and then!''
