Mahabharata 3.52.19 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 52, Shloka 19
Nala’s Embassy to Damayantī and the Gods’ Proposal (नलस्य दूतत्वं देवप्रस्तावश्च)
मया प्रशमिते पश्चात् त्वमेष्यसि वनात् पुनः । एवं कृते न ते दोषा भविष्यन्ति विशाम्पते
mayā praśamite paścāt tvam eṣyasi vanāt punaḥ | evaṁ kṛte na te doṣā bhaviṣyanti viśāmpate ||
قال فايشَمبايانا: «بعد أن أُخمد العدو وأضع حدًّا له، ستعود أنت من الغابة. فإذا فعلتَ ذلك، يا سيدَ الناس، فلن يلحق بك ذنبٌ ولا لوم.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical safeguard: if one follows the proper sequence—waiting until hostile forces are duly subdued and then returning—one incurs no doṣa (moral/legal blame). It emphasizes dharma as right timing and right procedure, not merely the end result.
Vaiśampāyana reports a reassurance given to a ruler: after the speaker has dealt with the enemies, the king should come back from the forest. By returning under these conditions, the king’s action will be free from reproach.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.