Shloka 32
Rathaghoṣa–Saṃjñāna: Damayantī’s Inference and the Dispatch of the Envoy (Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 71)
भवेन्न मतिभेदो मे गात्रवैरूप्यतां प्रति । प्रमाणात् परिहीनस्तु भवेदिति मतिर्मम,“इसके शरीरकी रूपहीनताको लक्ष्य करके मेरी बुद्धिमें यह भेद नहीं पैदा होता कि यह नल नहीं है, परंतु राजा नलकी जो मोटाई है, उससे यह कुछ दुबला-पतला है। उससे मेरे मनमें यह विचार होता है कि सम्भव है, यह नल न हो
bhaven na matibhedo me gātravairūpyatāṃ prati | pramāṇāt parihīnas tu bhaved iti matir mama ||
Ṛtuparṇa said: “My understanding does not split into doubt merely because of the deformity of his body; from that alone I do not conclude that he is not Nala. Yet, compared with King Nala’s known fullness of build, he seems somewhat thinner and diminished; therefore my mind entertains the thought that it is possible he may not be Nala.”
ऋचुपर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights careful discernment: one should not form a decisive judgment based solely on outward deformity. External appearance can mislead; prudent evaluation weighs multiple signs before concluding.
King Ṛtuparṇa is assessing whether the person before him is truly Nala. He notes that bodily disfigurement alone does not convince him it is not Nala, yet the reduced bodily measure makes him consider the possibility that it may be someone else.