Mahabharata 3.52.46 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 52, Shloka 46

Nala’s Embassy to Damayantī and the Gods’ Proposal (नलस्य दूतत्वं देवप्रस्तावश्च)

Devanagari script

अहं वने दुर्वसतीर्वसन्‌ परमदु:खित: । अक्षद्यूताधिकारे च गिर: शृण्वन्‌ सुदारुणा:

Transliteration

ahaṃ vane durvasatīr vasan paramaduḥkhitaḥ | akṣadyūtādhikāre ca giraḥ śṛṇvan sudāruṇāḥ ||

Translation

Ich lebe im Wald unter harten Bedingungen, überwältigt von tiefstem Kummer. Und in der Halle, in der das Würfelspiel ausgetragen wurde, musste ich überaus grausame Worte aus dem Mund der Gegner hören. Der Stachel dieser Erinnerungen steckt noch immer in meinem Herzen; rufe ich sie wach, verbringe ich die ganze Nacht in ängstlicher Grübelei.

Word by Word

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Nominative, Singular

• वने: in the forest
• वने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• दुर्वसतीः: hard dwellings / miserable abodes
• दुर्वसतीः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्वसति
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• वसन्: dwelling, living
• वसन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस्
• Form: Singular, शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative

• परमदुःखितः: extremely sorrowful
• परमदुःखितः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम-दुःखित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अक्षद्यूताधिकारे: in the dice-game assembly/occasion (where dice-play was authorized/arranged)
• अक्षद्यूताधिकारे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्ष-द्यूत-अधिकार
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• गिरः: words, speeches
• गिरः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिर्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• शृण्वन्: hearing
• शृण्वन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु
• Form: Singular, शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative

• सुदारुणाः: very harsh/cruel
• सुदारुणाः: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-दारुण
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vana (forest)
• Akṣa (dice)
• Dyūta (dice-game/gambling)
• Pratipakṣa (opposing party, implied)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical and psychological aftermath of adharma: reckless gambling and public insult do not end with the event itself; their consequences persist as inner torment. It underscores how dishonor and harsh speech can wound deeply, and how wrongful actions generate long-lasting suffering.

What is happening in the narrative?

A speaker recalls living in the forest under severe hardship after the dice-game episode, remembering the cruel words heard in the gambling hall from the opposing side. Those memories remain fixed in the heart, causing sleepless nights filled with worry and reflection.