Shloka 4
दमयन्त्याः अरण्यविहारः — Damayantī’s Passage through the Wilderness
पुष्करेणैवमुक्तस्य पुण्यश्लोकस्य मन्युना | व्यदीर्यतेव हृदयं न चैनं किंचिदब्रवीत्,पुष्करके ऐसा कहनेपर पुण्यश्लोक महाराज नलका हृदय शोकसे विदीर्ण-सा हो गया, परंतु उन्होंने उससे कुछ कहा नहीं
Puṣkareṇaivam uktasya puṇyaślokasya manyunā | vyadīryateva hṛdayaṃ na cainaṃ kiñcid abravīt ||
When Puṣkara spoke thus in anger, the heart of the illustrious King Nala seemed to split with grief; yet he did not reply to him at all.
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores ethical restraint: even when wounded by angry speech, a noble person may choose silence over retaliation, maintaining self-control (dama) and dignity while enduring inner pain.
Puṣkara speaks harshly in anger; King Nala, though deeply hurt—his heart seeming to tear with sorrow—does not answer him, indicating a tense moment of provocation and suppressed anguish.