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,“मेरे द्वारा शत्रुओंका संहार हो जानेपर आप फिर तेरह वर्षके बाद वनसे चले आइयेगा। प्रजानाथ! ऐसा करनेपर आपको दोष नहीं लगेगा
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.