Shloka 8

नलस्य दमयन्त्युत्सर्गः

Nala’s Abandonment of Damayantī in the Lodging Hall

Devanagari script

न चक्षमे ततो राजा समाह्वानं महामना: । वैदर्भ्या: प्रेक्षमाणाया: पणकालममन्यत,महामना राजा नल द्यूतके लिये पुष्करके आह्वानको न सह सके। विदर्भराजकुमारी दमयन्तीके देखते-देखते उसी क्षण जूआ खेलनेका उपयुक्त अवसर समझ लिया

Transliteration

na cakṣame tato rājā samāhvānaṃ mahāmanāḥ | vaidarbhayāḥ prekṣamāṇāyāḥ paṇakālam amanyata ||

Translation

Then the great-minded king could not endure the challenge. With the princess of Vidarbha watching, he took that very moment to be the fitting time for a wager—accepting the call to gamble despite the moral peril it carried.

Word by Word

नnot

चक्षमेcould endure / tolerated

ततःthen / thereafter

राजाthe king

समाह्वानम्the challenge / summons (to play)

महामनाःgreat-souled

वैदर्भ्याःof the Vidarbhī (Damayantī)

प्रेक्षमाणायाःwhile (she) was watching / of (her) watching

पणकालम्the time for gambling / the gambling-occasion

अमन्यतthought / considered

Speaker

ब॒हृदश्चव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nala

Damayantī

Puṣkara

Vidarbha

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even a noble person can be pulled into adharma by pride and provocation; accepting a harmful challenge at an inopportune moment—especially under social pressure—can trigger grave consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Puṣkara’s challenge to gamble is presented; Nala, unable to bear the summons, decides that very moment is the time to stake a wager, while Damayantī looks on.