नलोपाख्यान पर्व — नल द्वारा दमयन्ती का परित्याग

Nala said: No doubt, your father's kingdom is the same as mine own. But thither by any means I will not go, being in embarrassed circumstances.

There was a time when repairing there in all my prosperity, I enhanced your delight. Shorn of it (prosperity) how can I now repair there to add to your sorrow?

Brihadhsava said: Thus repeatedly speaking unto Damayanti, used to all happiness, king Nala tried to console her, now clad only in half of her cloth. Both of them wrapped in a single piece of cloth, when wandering this way and that, arrived at an inn, worn out with hunger and thirst.

Then on reaching that inn, the ruler of the Nishadhas seated himself on the surface of the earth with the daughter of the king of Vidharbha.

Destitute of his garments, unsightly, with his person unclean, covered with dust, he laid himself down with Damayanti on the surface of the earth in fatigue.

Then ever used to happiness, the comcly and innocent Damayanti, too, suddenly visited with misfortune, became unconscious in sleep.

O lord of your subjects! when Damayanti fell asleep, king Nala, owing to his heart and mind being agitated with grief, could not sleep as before (in his days of happiness).

He, musing over the loss of his kingdom, his abandonment by his friends, the disaster he met with in the forest and over his other misfortunes, began to reflect (in the following manner).

“What will accrue from my doing this? And what from my not doing this? Which is preferable to me now, my death or the desertion of my wife?

She is (fondly) attached unto myself. For this reason she suffer these afflictions for me. But (when) forsaken by me, she may possibly repair to her relatives.

Devoted as she is to me, she is sure to suffer distress if she accompanies me; but it is doubtful, whether she would suffer them or not, were I to forsake her. Perchance, she may sometime attain to happiness."

O Monarch! thus repeatedly cogitating over this subject and reflecting again and again about it, he (at last) decided the desertion of Damayanti to be the best course open to him.

For her spiritedness, nobody will be able to insult, on the way, this high-souled, chaste and illustrious lady who is (fondly) devoted to me.'

Thus through the instrumentality of the wicked Kali, his mind then ceased to dwell on Damayanti and he settled his purpose of abandoning her.

Thinking of his own want of garment and of Damayanti's being clad in a single piece of cloth, the King intended to pair off half of her cloth.

'How shall I cut off her cloth, so that my beloved may not awake.' Thus thinking, king Nala then began to wander about that inn.

O descendant of Bharata's race! walking with hasty steps up and down, Nala obtained, near the inn, an excellent unsheathed sword.

That chastiser of his enemies, having with this sword cut off one half of her cloth, wore it. And then leaving the daughter of the Vidharbha king asleep and unconscious, he hurriedly went away.

But then his heart being attracted towards Damayanti, the ruler of the Nishadhas, came back to that inn; and finding her in that condition he began to lament:

‘My dear-loved wife, whom even the winds or the sun could not sce before, is even now lying asleep like one helpless on the ground of this inn.

How will this sweet smiling and slenderwaisted Damayanti live, when awaking, she shall find herself clothed, like one mad, in half a piece of cloth?

How will this blessed daughter of Bhima, the chaste Damayanti, roam, without me and all alone, in this dreary wilderness, inhabited by beasts and serpents.

O noble-hearted one! may the Adityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the twin Asvinis together with the wind-gods, protect you! Or you are protected by yours own virtue!'

Thus speaking unto his dear-loved wife matchless on carih in beauty, king Nala, deprived of his senses by Kali, endeavoured to go away.

The royal Nala departing again and again, returned again and again to the inn, once dragged away by Kali and again drawn back by his love (to his wife).

It seemed as if the heart of the distressed king was divided in twain, who like a rocking cradle repeatedly went away from and came back into the inn,

Befooled and deprived of his reason by Kali, Nala ran away deserting his sleeping wife and lainenting profusely and plaintively for her.

Losing his senses through the influence of Kali and ruminating over a variety of thoughts, the king went away with his heart full of sorrow, forsaking his wife, alone, in that solitary wilderness.