Shloka 3
दमयन्तीस्वयंवरः — देववेषधारणं, सत्यप्रार्थना, नलवरणम्
Damayantī’s Svayaṃvara: Divine Disguises, Truth-Vow, and Choosing Nala
ऊर्ध्वदृष्टिर्यानपरा बभूवोन्मत्तदर्शना | पाण्डुवर्णा क्षणेनाथ हृच्छयाविष्टचेतना,ऊपरकी ओर निहारती हुई सदा नलके ध्यानमें परायण रहती थी। देखनेमें उन्मत्त-सी जान पड़ती थी। उसका शरीर पाण्डुवर्णका हो गया। कामवेदनाकी अधिकतासे उसकी चेतना क्षण-क्षणमें विलुप्त-सी हो जाती थी
bṛhadaśva uvāca | ūrdhvadṛṣṭir yānaparā babhūvonmattadarśanā | pāṇḍuvarṇā kṣaṇenātha hṛcchayāviṣṭacetanā ||
Bṛhadaśva said: She kept her gaze lifted upward, wholly absorbed in thoughts of Nala. She appeared as if deranged. In a moment her body turned pale, and, overwhelmed by the torment of love, her mind would seem to fade again and again.
बृहदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how overpowering attachment and separation can destabilize the mind and body; it implicitly warns that unchecked passion (kāma) can eclipse steadiness and well-being, making inner discipline and support essential in distress.
Bṛhadaśva describes the heroine’s condition in separation from Nala: she remains absorbed in him, looks upward as if lost in thought, appears almost mad, turns pale, and repeatedly loses clarity of consciousness due to intense love-torment.