Shloka 70

नलस्य बाहुकत्वेन ऋतुपर्णनगरप्रवेशः

Nala as Bāhuka enters Ṛtuparṇa’s city

Devanagari script

तानुवाच वरारोहा कच्चिद्‌ भगवतामिह । तपःस्वग्निषु धर्मेषु मृगपक्षिषु चानघा:,उस समय सुन्दर अंगोंवाली दमयन्तीने उनसे कहा--“भगवन्‌! निष्पाप महाभागगण! यहाँ तप, अन्निहोत्र, धर्म, मृग और पक्षियोंके पालन तथा अपने धर्मके आचरण आदि विषयोंमें आपलोग सकुशल हैं न?' तब उन महात्माओंने कहा--“भद्रे! यशस्विनि! सर्वत्र कुशल है

Transliteration

tān uvāca varārohā kaccid bhagavatām iha | tapaḥsv agniṣu dharmeṣu mṛgapakṣiṣu cānaghā ||

Translation

Then the fair-limbed Damayantī addressed them: “Revered ones, blameless and fortunate sages—are you all well here? Are your austerities, sacred fires, and observances of dharma proceeding without hindrance, and are the deer and birds (under your care) thriving?”

Word by Word

• {'tān': 'them (accusative plural pronoun)', 'uvāca': 'said, spoke', 'varārohā': 'a woman of excellent form/beautiful limbs (epithet

• here Damayantī)', 'kaccit': 'whether?, I hope (interrogative particle used in polite inquiry)', 'bhagavatām': 'of the venerable/revered ones (often sages)', 'iha': 'here', 'tapaḥsu': 'in austerities, ascetic practices', 'agniṣu': 'in the sacred fires

• in fire-rites (e.g., agnihotra)', 'dharmeṣu': 'in dharmic duties/observances

• in righteousness', 'mṛga': 'deer

• wild animals (contextually creatures of the forest)', 'pakṣiṣu': 'birds', 'ca': 'and', 'anaghā': 'blameless, sinless (vocative feminine

Speaker

बृहृदश्च उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Damayantī
• sages/ṛṣis (bhagavantaḥ)
• tapas (austerity)
• agni (sacred fire, agnihotra)
• dharma
• mṛga (deer/forest animals)
• pakṣi (birds)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse models dharmic speech: a respectful inquiry into the well-being of ascetics and their practices, linking personal welfare with the health of ritual order (tapas, sacred fires, dharma) and with care for other beings (deer and birds).

What is happening in the narrative?

Damayantī addresses a group of revered sages in the forest, politely asking whether they are safe and whether their austerities, fire-rites, and dharmic observances are proceeding well, including the welfare of the animals and birds around their hermitage.