Shloka 31
नलस्य बाहुकत्वेन ऋतुपर्णनगरप्रवेशः
Nala as Bāhuka enters Ṛtuparṇa’s city
अयं स इति कस्याद्य श्रोष्यामि मधुरां गिरम्। 'शत्रुओंके व्यूहका नाश करनेवाले जिन परम सुन्दर कमलनयन महात्मा राजा नलको तू खोज रही है, वे यही तो हैं, ऐसी मधुर वाणी आज मैं किसके मुखसे सुनूँगी?” || ३० $ई || अरण्यराडयं श्रीमां क्षतुर्दष्टोी महाहनु:,वह वनका राजा कान्तिमान् सिंह मेरे सामने चला आ रहा है, इसके चार दाढ़ें और विशाल ठोड़ी है। मैं निःशंक होकर इसके सामने जा रही हूँ और कहती हूँ, “आप मृगोंके राजा और इस वनके स्वामी हैं
ayaṃ sa iti kasyādya śroṣyāmi madhurāṃ giram |
“From whose lips shall I hear today that sweet utterance—‘This is he’—pointing out the very Nala, the lotus-eyed, noble king who destroys the battle-formations of his foes, whom you have been seeking?”
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of truthful identification and reliable speech: in a time of longing and uncertainty, a single credible utterance—“This is he”—can restore hope and guide right action, underscoring the value of trustworthy testimony and perseverance in dharma.
In the Nala–Damayantī narrative within Vana Parva, the speaker evokes the moment of recognition: Damayantī has been searching for King Nala, and the verse imagines her yearning to hear someone finally confirm, in a sweet and certain voice, that the man before her is indeed Nala.