Shloka 9
दमयन्तीस्वयंवरः — देववेषधारणं, सत्यप्रार्थना, नलवरणम्
Damayantī’s Svayaṃvara: Divine Disguises, Truth-Vow, and Choosing Nala
स संनिमन्त्रयामास महीपालान् विशाम्पति: । एषो<नुभूयतां वीरा: स्वयंवर इति प्रभो,राजन! विदर्भनरेशने सब राजाओंको इस प्रकार निमन्त्रित किया--“वीरो! मेरे यहाँ कन्याका स्वयंवर है। आपलोग पधारकर इस उत्सवका आनन्द लें!
sa saṁnimantrayāmāsa mahīpālān viśāmpatiḥ | eṣo 'nubhūyatāṁ vīrāḥ svayaṁvara iti prabho ||
The lord of the people, the king, formally invited the rulers of the earth, proclaiming: “O heroes, come, witness it and rejoice—here a svayaṃvara is to be held, O noble one.”
बृहदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic kingship expressed through public, orderly rites: a ruler upholds social norms by inviting peers openly to a svayaṃvara, emphasizing legitimacy, hospitality, and communal witnessing of a major life-rite.
A king (the ‘lord of the people’) sends formal invitations to other kings, announcing that a princess’s svayaṃvara is to be held and urging the invited heroes to come and partake in the occasion.