Shloka 44

Sudeva Identifies Damayantī in Cedi (सुदेवेन दमयन्ती-परिचयः)

Devanagari script

हतशेषै: सह तदा ब्राह्माणैवेंदपारगै: । अगच्छदू राजशार्दूल चन्द्रलेखेव शारदी,नृपश्रेष्ठी तदनन्तर मरनेसे बचे हुए वेदोंके पारंगत दिद्वान्‌ ब्राह्मणोंके साथ यात्रा करती हुई शरत्कालके चन्द्रमाकी कलाके समान वह सुन्दरी युवती थोड़े ही समयमें संध्या होते- होते सत्यदर्शी चेदिराज सुबाहुकी राजधानीमें जा पहुँची

Transliteration

hataśeṣaiḥ saha tadā brāhmaṇair vedapāragaiḥ | agacchad rājavaśārdūla candralekheva śāradī || nṛpaśreṣṭha tad-anantaraṃ maraṇeṣv avasthiteṣu bace hue vedānāṃ pāragatāḥ vidvāṃso brāhmaṇaiḥ saha yātrāṃ kurvatī śaratkālasya candramasaḥ kalāṃ iva sā sundarī yuvatī alpa-kālena sandhyāyāṃ satyadarśinaś cedirājasya subāhoḥ rājadhānīṃ prāpa ||

Translation

ثم انطلقت، مصحوبةً بالبَراهِمَة الذين نجَوا وكانوا من العارفين بالڤيدا—يا نِمرَ الملوك—كأنها هلالُ قمرِ الخريف المضيء. ولم يمضِ وقتٌ طويل حتى إذا دنا المساء بلغت تلك الفتاةُ الحسناء عاصمةَ ملكِ تشيدي سوباهو، الحاكمَ المشهورَ بنفاذ بصيرته إلى الحق.

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'हतशेषैः (hataśeṣaiḥ)', 'meaning': 'with those who remained after being slain

• the survivors'}, {'term': 'ब्राह्मणैः (brāhmaṇaiḥ)', 'meaning': 'with Brahmins'}, {'term': 'वेदपारगैः (vedapāragaiḥ)', 'meaning': 'those who have gone to the far shore of the Vedas

• consummate Vedic scholars'}, {'term': 'अगच्छत् (agacchat)', 'meaning': 'went, proceeded'}, {'term': 'राजशार्दूल (rājaśārdūla)', 'meaning': 'O tiger among kings (vocative address)'}, {'term': 'चन्द्रलेखा (candralekhā)', 'meaning': 'a streak/crescent of the moon'}, {'term': 'शारदी (śāradī)', 'meaning': 'autumnal

• belonging to the autumn season'}, {'term': 'नृपश्रेष्ठ (nṛpaśreṣṭha)', 'meaning': 'O best of kings (vocative address)'}, {'term': 'सत्यदर्शिन् (satyadarśin)', 'meaning': 'one who sees/discerns truth

• truthful and discerning'}, {'term': 'चेदिराज (cedirāja)', 'meaning': 'king of Cedi'}, {'term': 'सुबाहु (subāhu)', 'meaning': 'Subāhu (proper name)'}, {'term': 'राजधानी (rājadhānī)', 'meaning': 'capital city'}]

Speaker

बृहदश्चव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• बृहदश्व (Bṛhadaśva)
• ब्राह्मण (Brahmins)
• चेदि (Cedi)
• सुबाहु (Subāhu)
• राजधानी (capital city)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

After violence and loss, dharma is upheld through the protection offered by the learned and by righteous kingship: survivors seek safety under a truth-discerning ruler, guided by Vedic-knowing Brahmins.

What is happening in the narrative?

A beautiful young woman travels with the surviving Veda-versed Brahmins and quickly reaches the capital of the Cedi king Subāhu by evening; her movement is compared to the autumn moon’s crescent.