Shloka 31
दमयन्त्याः अरण्यविहारः — Damayantī’s Passage through the Wilderness
न चाहं त्यक्तकामस्त्वां किमलं भीरु शड्कसे । त्यजेयमहमात्मानं न चैव त्वामनिन्दिते,भीरु! मैं तुम्हें त्यागना नहीं चाहता, तुम इतनी अधिक शंका क्यों करती हो? अनिन्दिते! मैं अपने शरीरका त्याग कर सकता हूँ, पर तुम्हें नहीं छोड़ सकता
na cāhaṃ tyaktakāmas tvāṃ kim alaṃ bhīru śaṅkase | tyajeyam aham ātmānaṃ na caiva tvām anindite ||
Nala said: “I have no desire to abandon you—why, O timid one, do you harbor such excessive doubt? O blameless lady, I could give up my own life, but I cannot and will not forsake you.”
नल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse upholds steadfast commitment and ethical fidelity in marriage: Nala asserts that even at the cost of his own life he will not abandon his blameless wife, countering fear with a vow of responsibility and protection.
In the Nala–Damayantī episode within the Vana Parva, Damayantī fears being deserted amid hardship. Nala responds directly, calling her “timid” yet “blameless,” and reassures her that he has no intention of leaving her—he would sooner give up his own life than forsake her.