Shloka 21

दमयन्तीस्वयंवरः — देववेषधारणं, सत्यप्रार्थना, नलवरणम्

Damayantī’s Svayaṃvara: Divine Disguises, Truth-Vow, and Choosing Nala

Devanagari script

विदर्भराज्ञो दुहिता दमयन्तीति विश्रुता । रूपेण समतिक्रान्ता पृथिव्यां सर्वयोषित:,नारदजी बोले--मघवन्‌! मैं वह कारण बताता हूँ, जिससे राजालोग आजकल यहाँ नहीं दिखायी देते, सुनिये। विदर्भनरेश भीमके यहाँ दमयन्ती नामसे प्रसिद्ध एक कन्या उत्पन्न हुई है, जो मनोहर रूप-सौन्दर्यमें पृथ्वीकी सम्पूर्ण युवतियोंको लाँध गयी है

Transliteration

vidarbharājño duhitā damayantīti viśrutā | rūpeṇa samatikrāntā pṛthivyāṁ sarvayoṣitaḥ |

Translation

Nārada said: “The king of Vidarbha has a daughter, renowned by the name Damayantī. By her beauty she surpasses all the young women on earth.”

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'vidarbha-rājñaḥ', 'definition': 'of the king of Vidarbha (genitive singular)'}, {'term': 'duhitā', 'definition': 'daughter'}, {'term': 'damayantī', 'definition': 'Damayantī (proper name)'}, {'term': 'iti', 'definition': 'thus

• indicating the name/quotation'}, {'term': 'viśrutā', 'definition': 'well-known, renowned'}, {'term': 'rūpeṇa', 'definition': 'by beauty/form (instrumental singular of rūpa)'}, {'term': 'samatikrāntā', 'definition': 'having surpassed, outdone'}, {'term': 'pṛthivyām', 'definition': 'on the earth (locative singular)'}, {'term': 'sarva-yoṣitaḥ', 'definition': 'all women/maidens (accusative plural)'}]

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Damayantī
• King of Vidarbha
• Vidarbha
• Pṛthivī (Earth)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how extraordinary qualities (here, beauty and renown) become widely known and can set major events in motion; it also reflects the epic’s interest in reputation (kīrti) and the social consequences of exceptional attributes.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada introduces Damayantī to his listener by identifying her lineage (daughter of the king of Vidarbha) and emphasizing her unmatched beauty, preparing the ground for the Nala–Damayantī story and the forthcoming marriage context.