Shloka 26

Akṣa-hṛdaya-dāna and Phalāśruti of the Nalopākhyāna (अक्षहृदयदानम् / नलोपाख्यान-फलश्रुतिः)

Devanagari script

एवं नल: सान्त्वयित्वा भ्रातरं सत्यविक्रम: । स्वपुरं प्रेषयामास परिष्वज्य पुन: पुन:,इस प्रकार सत्यपराक्रमी राजा नलने अपने भाई पुष्करको सान्त्वना दे बार-बार हृदयसे लगाकर उसकी राजधानीको भेज दिया

Transliteration

evaṁ nalaḥ sāntvayitvā bhrātaraṁ satyavikramaḥ | svapuraṁ preṣayāmāsa pariṣvajya punaḥ punaḥ ||

Translation

So tröstete Nala, dessen Tapferkeit dem gegebenen Wort treu war, seinen Bruder. Ihn immer wieder umarmend, sandte er Puṣkara in seine eigene Stadt zurück — und zeigte nach dem Streit Selbstbeherrschung, indem er Versöhnung der fortgesetzten Feindschaft vorzog.

Word by Word

एवम्thus

नलःNala

सान्त्वयित्वाhaving consoled

भ्रातरम्brother

सत्यविक्रमःof true valor

स्वपुरम्to his own city

प्रेषयामासsent

परिष्वज्यhaving embraced

पुनःagain

Speaker

बृहदश्चव उवाच

Characters & Entities

न

नल (Nala)

भ

भ्राता / पुष्कर (Puṣkara, implied by context)

स

स्वपुर (his own city/capital)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even after rivalry, a righteous person chooses restraint and reconciliation: consoling the fallen, maintaining kinship, and ending hostility without humiliation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nala comforts his brother (Puṣkara), embraces him repeatedly, and sends him back to his own capital, signaling closure of conflict and restoration of familial bonds.