Shloka 8
नलदमयन्त्युपाख्यानम्—नलप्रशंसा हंसदूतवृत्तान्तः
Nala–Damayantī Upākhyāna: Praise of Nala and the Swan-Messenger Episode
हःः “5 (>>) #ल-+ #ट > सूर्य, जल, पृथ्वी, अग्नि, वायु, आकाश, दीक्षित ब्राह्मण तथा चन्द्रमा--ये शिवजीकी आठ मूर्तियाँ हैं। (विष्णुपुराण १,नततत्र वश्रिद् दुर्वर्णो व्याधितो वापि दृश्यते । कृशो वा दुर्बलो वापि दीनो भीतो$5पि वा पुन: वहाँ उन ब्राह्मणोंमेंसे कोई भी ऐसा नहीं दिखायी देता था, जिसके शरीरका रंग दूषित हो अथवा जो किसी रोगसे ग्रस्त हो। उनमेंसे कोई कृशकाय, दुर्बल, दीन अथवा भयभीत भी नहीं जान पड़ता था
haḥ haḥ — sūryaḥ, jalam, pṛthivī, agniḥ, vāyuḥ, ākāśam, dīkṣita-brāhmaṇaḥ tathā candramā—ete śivasya aṣṭa mūrtayaḥ; tatra teṣāṃ brāhmaṇānāṃ madhye na kaścid api durvarṇo vyādhito vā dṛśyate, na ca kaścid kṛśo vā durbalo vā dīno bhīto 'pi vā punar dṛśyate.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “The Sun, Water, Earth, Fire, Wind, Space, the consecrated Brāhmaṇa, and the Moon—these are spoken of as the eight manifestations of Śiva. And among those Brāhmaṇas there was not a single person seen with a blemished complexion or afflicted by disease; none appeared emaciated, weak, wretched, or fearful.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage links ethical-ritual excellence with auspicious well-being: the consecrated, disciplined Brāhmaṇas are portrayed as free from visible signs of impurity, illness, weakness, or fear, while Śiva’s presence is framed cosmically through the eightfold embodiment in elemental and celestial forms.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra is describing (or reacting to a description of) a sacred setting populated by consecrated Brāhmaṇas, emphasizing their striking vigor and serenity, and the text (with a traditional note) invokes the doctrine of Śiva’s eight manifestations to sacralize the scene.