Shloka 6
दमयन्त्या वणिजां सार्थगमनम्, हस्तियूथविप्लवः, चेदिराजपुरप्रवेशश्च
Damayantī joins a caravan; elephant-herd catastrophe; entry into Cedi
स वै विवस्त्रो विकटो मलिन: पांसुगुण्ठित: । दमयन्त्या सह श्रान्तः सुष्वाप धरणीतले,वे वस्त्रहीन, चटाई आदिसे रहित, मलिन एवं धूलि-धूसरित हो रहे थे। दमयन्तीके साथ थककर भूमिपर ही सो गये
sa vai vivastro vikaṭo malinaḥ pāṃsuguṇṭhitaḥ | damayantyā saha śrāntaḥ suṣvāpa dharaṇītale ||
Bṛhadaśva said: He, indeed, was without clothing—disfigured, unclean, and covered with dust. Exhausted together with Damayantī, he lay down and slept upon the bare ground.
बृहदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how loss and misfortune can reduce a person to extreme hardship, yet dharma is upheld through endurance and fidelity—especially seen in Damayantī’s steadfast companionship amid deprivation.
Nala, reduced to a wretched state—naked, dirty, and dust-covered—becomes exhausted while traveling with Damayantī, and the two rest by sleeping directly on the ground.