Shloka 7
दमयन्त्या वणिजां सार्थगमनम्, हस्तियूथविप्लवः, चेदिराजपुरप्रवेशश्च
Damayantī joins a caravan; elephant-herd catastrophe; entry into Cedi
दमयन्त्यपि कल्याणी निद्रयापहता तत: । सहसा दुःखमासाद्य सुकुमारी तपस्विनी,सुकुमारी तपस्विनी कल्याणमयी दमयन्ती भी सहसा दुःखमें पड़ गयी थी। वहाँ आनेपर उसे भी निद्राने घेर लिया
damayanty api kalyāṇī nidrayāpahatā tataḥ | sahasā duḥkham āsādya sukumārī tapasvinī ||
Bṛhadaśva said: Even Damayantī—noble and auspicious—was then overcome by sleep. Having suddenly fallen into distress, that delicate, ascetic woman succumbed to slumber there as well.
बृहदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that intense hardship and fatigue can overwhelm even the virtuous and disciplined; it encourages empathy and a dharmic, non-judgmental view of human limits in suffering.
Bṛhadaśva narrates that Damayantī, already struck by sudden misfortune, is overtaken by sleep as well—marking a moment of exhaustion and vulnerability within her ordeal.