Shloka 3
ऋतुपर्णस्य विदर्भयात्रा-निश्चयः तथा बाहुकस्य हयपरिक्षा (Ṛtuparṇa’s resolve to go to Vidarbha and Bāhuka’s examination of horses)
स द्ूतेन जितो क्रात्रा हृतराज्यो महीपतिः । दमयन्त्या गतः सार्ध न प्राज्ञायत कस्यचित्,एक दिन राजा नल अपने भाईके द्वारा जूएमें हार गये। उसीमें उनका सारा राज्य चला गया। वे दमयन्तीके साथ वनमें चले गये। तबसे अबतक किसीको उनका पता नहीं लगा
sa dūtena jito krātrā hṛtarājyo mahīpatiḥ | damayantyā gataḥ sārdha na prājñāyata kasyacit ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “That king, having been defeated in the dice-game by the gambler, was stripped of his kingdom. He departed together with Damayantī into the forest, and from that day onward his whereabouts have not been known to anyone.”
युदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical peril of gambling: a ruler’s lapse can lead to the loss of sovereignty and social order, and misfortune can drive even the great into exile. It also underscores steadfast companionship—Damayantī remains with Nala despite ruin—presenting fidelity and endurance as dharmic responses to adversity.
Yudhiṣṭhira summarizes Nala’s downfall: Nala is defeated in a dice-game, loses his kingdom, and leaves for the forest with Damayantī. Since then, no one has known where he is, setting up the search and the unfolding of Nala–Damayantī’s trials.