Shloka 9
दमयन्त्याः अरण्यविहारः — Damayantī’s Passage through the Wilderness
पुष्करस्य तु वाक्येन तस्य विद्वेषणेन च | पौरा न तस्य सत्कारं कृतवन्तो युधिष्ठिर,युधिष्ठिर! पुष्करके उस वचनसे और नलके प्रति पुष्करका द्वेष होनेसे पुरवासियोंने राजा नलका कोई सत्कार नहीं किया
puṣkarasya tu vākyena tasya vidveṣaṇena ca | paurā na tasya satkāraṁ kṛtavanto yudhiṣṭhira ||
Bṛhadaśva said: “O Yudhiṣṭhira, because of Puṣkara’s words—and because of his hostility toward him—the citizens did not show King Nala the honor and welcome that were due.”
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how speech and hostility can shape collective behavior: when influential words are driven by enmity, society may withhold rightful respect, causing injustice and moral decline in public conduct.
Bṛhadaśva narrates to Yudhiṣṭhira that Puṣkara’s statements and his animosity toward Nala influenced the townspeople, leading them to deny Nala the customary honor and reception owed to him as king.