Shloka 6
नलस्य बाहुकत्वेन ऋतुपर्णनगरप्रवेशः
Nala as Bāhuka enters Ṛtuparṇa’s city
शाल, वेणु, धव, पीपल, तिन्दुक, इंगुद, पलाश, अर्जुन, अरिष्ट, स्यन्दन (तिनिश), सेमल, जामुन, आम, लोध, खैर, साखू, बेंत, पद्मक, आँवला, पाकर, कदम्ब, गूलर, बेर, बेल, बरगद, प्रियाल, ताल, खजूर, हर्रे तथा बहेड़े आदि वृक्षोंसे वह विशाल वन परिपूर्ण हो रहा था ।। नानाधातुशतैर्नद्धान् विविधानपि चाचलान् । निकुण्जान् परिसंघुष्टान् दरीश्वाद्भुतदर्शना:,दमयन्तीने वहाँ सैकड़ों धातुओंसे संयुक्त नाना प्रकारके पर्वत, पक्षियोंके कलरवोंसे गुंजायमान कितने ही निकुंज और अद्भुत कन्दराएँ देखीं
śāla-veṇu-dhava-pīpala-tinduka-iṅguda-palāśa-arjuna-ariṣṭa-syandana (tiniśa)-śemala-jāmun-āmra-lodha-khaira-śākhū-veṇu (bent)-padmaka-āmalaka-pākara-kadamba-gūlara-bera-bila-vaṭa-priyāla-tāla-khajūra-haritakī-vibhitaka-ādibhiḥ vṛkṣaiḥ tad vipulaṃ vanaṃ paripūrṇaṃ babhūva. nānā-dhātu-śatair naddhān vividhān api cācalān, nikuñjān parisaṃghuṣṭān darīś ca adbhuta-darśanāḥ, damayantī tatra apaśyat.
Bṛhadaśva said: “That vast forest was filled with many kinds of trees—śāla, bamboo, dhava, pīpala, tinduka, iṅguda, palāśa, arjuna, ariṣṭa, syandana (tiniśa), śemala, jambu, mango, lodhra, khadira, śākhū, cane, padmaka, āmalaka, pākara, kadamba, gūlara, badarī (jujube), bilva, banyan, priyāla, palmyra, date-palm, harītakī and vibhitaka, and others. There Damayantī beheld mountains in many forms, bound with hundreds of minerals, groves resonant with the calls of birds, and wondrous caves and ravines—marvels of the wilderness that frame her arduous journey and test steadfastness amid exile.”
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores endurance and steadiness (dhairya) in adversity: Damayantī’s difficult path through a formidable wilderness mirrors the ethical demand to remain resolute and faithful to dharma even when external conditions are harsh and disorienting.
Bṛhadaśva narrates Damayantī’s journey as she moves through a vast forest. She observes many species of trees, mineral-studded mountains, bird-filled groves, and astonishing caves—setting the scene of her solitary hardship and the scale of the natural obstacles around her.