Shloka 5
दमयन्त्याः अरण्यविहारः — Damayantī’s Passage through the Wilderness
ततः पुष्करमालोक्य नलः परममन्युमान् | उत्सृज्य सर्वगात्रे भ्यो भूषणानि महायशा:,तदनन्तर महायशस्वी नलने अत्यन्त दुःखित हो पुष्करकी ओर देखकर अपने सब अंगोंके आभूषण उतार दिये और केवल एक अधोवस्त्र धारण करके चादर ओढ़े बिना ही अपनी विशाल सम्पत्तिको त्यागकर सुहृदोंका शोक बढ़ाते हुए वे राजभवनसे निकल पड़े
tataḥ puṣkaram ālokya nalaḥ paramam anyumān | utsṛjya sarvagātrebhyo bhūṣaṇāni mahāyaśāḥ ||
Da blickte der ruhmreiche König Nala auf Puṣkara, von heftigem Zorn überwältigt, und warf den Schmuck von all seinen Gliedern ab. In tiefer Bedrängnis entsagte er königlicher Pracht und verließ den Palast, wodurch er den Kummer seiner Getreuen noch vermehrte.
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical danger of manyu (wrath) in a ruler: when anger and wounded pride dominate, one may abandon duties and stability in a way that harms both oneself and one’s dependents. True renunciation is ideally guided by discernment and dharma, not by despair or humiliation.
Nala sees Puṣkara and becomes intensely angry. In that agitated state he removes his ornaments—symbolically shedding royal dignity—and moves toward a drastic departure from palace life, which causes grief to his well-wishers and marks a turning point in his downfall.