Shloka 20
दुष्करं कुरुते5त्यन्तं हीनो यदनया नल: । धारयत्यात्मनो देहं न शोकेनापि सीदति,इससे विलग होकर राजा नल यदि अपने शरीरको धारण करते हैं और शोकसे शिथिल नहीं हो रहे हैं तो यह समझना चाहिये कि वे अत्यन्त दुष्कर कर्म कर रहे हैं
duṣkaraṃ kurute 'tyantaṃ hīno yad anayā nalaḥ | dhārayaty ātmano dehaṃ na śokenāpi sīdati ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “If King Nala, though separated from her and reduced to a wretched state, still sustains his own body and does not collapse even under grief, then one must understand that he is performing something exceedingly difficult—enduring sorrow with steadfast self-control.”
युदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
True strength is the ability to endure intense grief without losing self-command—maintaining one’s body and duties even when emotionally devastated is portrayed as an exceptionally difficult virtue.
Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on Nala’s condition after separation from Damayantī: despite being brought low, Nala continues to live and does not succumb to sorrow, which Yudhiṣṭhira recognizes as extraordinary endurance.