Shloka 9
नलस्य विवस्त्रीकरणं दमयन्ती-सहानुगमनं च
Nala’s Disrobing and Damayantī’s Companionship
यो<थीते चतुरो वेदान् सर्वानाख्यानपञ्चमान् | नित्यं तृप्ता गृहे यस्य देवा यज्ञेषु धर्मत: । अहिंसानिरतो यश्च सत्यवादी दृढव्रत:,“राजा नल सर्वगुणसम्पन्न हैं। कौन स्त्री उनका वरण नहीं करेगी? जिन्होंने भलीभाँति ब्रह्मचर्यव्रतका पालन करके चारों वेदों तथा पंचम वेद समस्त इतिहास-पुराणका भी अध्ययन किया है, जो सब धर्मोंको जानते हैं, जिनके घरपर पंचयज्ञोंमें धर्मके अनुसार सम्पूर्ण देवता नित्य तृप्त होते हैं, जो अहिंसा-परायण, सत्यवादी तथा दृढ़तापूर्वक व्रतका पालन करनेवाले हैं, जिन नरश्रेष्ठ लोकपाल-सदृश तेजस्वी नलमें दक्षता, धैर्य, ज्ञान, तप, शौच, शम और दम आदि गुण नित्य निवास करते हैं। कले! ऐसे राजा नलको जो मूढ़ शाप देनेकी इच्छा रखता है, वह मानो अपनेको ही शाप देता है। अपने द्वारा अपना ही विनाश करता है
Bṛhadaśva uvāca— yo ’dhīte caturo vedān sarvān ākhyāna-pañcamān | nityaṁ tṛptā gṛhe yasya devā yajñeṣu dharmataḥ | ahiṁsā-nirato yaś ca satyavādī dṛḍha-vrataḥ |
Bṛhadaśva said: “He has studied the four Vedas, along with the traditional narratives counted as the ‘fifth’—the whole body of ancient histories and lore; in whose house the gods are ever satisfied through sacrifices performed in accordance with dharma; who is devoted to non-violence, a speaker of truth, and steadfast in his vows—such is King Nala, complete in virtues. What woman would not choose him? To wish to curse such a man is like cursing oneself, bringing about one’s own ruin.”
बु॒हदश्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
True nobility is grounded in dharma: disciplined learning, righteous ritual responsibility, non-violence, truthfulness, and steadfast vows. To act against such virtue (e.g., by unjustly cursing it) rebounds upon the wrongdoer as self-destruction.
Bṛhadaśva is praising King Nala’s exemplary qualities—his Vedic learning, dharmic household rites that satisfy the gods, and moral virtues like ahiṁsā and truth—presenting him as an ideal ruler and warning that hostility toward such a person is ultimately self-harming.