Shloka 4
Keśinī’s Inquiry to Bāhuka and the Emotional Signs of Concealed Identity (केशिन्याः बाहुकपरीक्षा)
निगृह्लीष्व महाबुद्धे हपानेतान् महाजवान् । वार्ष्णेयो यावदेनं मे पटमानयतामिह,उस समय वस्त्र गिर जानेपर उन महामना नरेशने बड़ी उतावलीके साथ नलसे कहा --“महामते! इस वेगशाली घोड़ोंको (थोड़ी देरके लिये) रोक लो। मैं अपनी गिरी हुई चादर लूँगा। जबतक यह वार्ष्णेय उतरकर मेरे उत्तरीय वस्त्रको ला दे, तबतक रथको रोके रहो”
bṛhadaśva uvāca |
nigṛhlīṣva mahābuddhe hayān etān mahājavān |
vārṣṇeyo yāvad enaṃ me paṭam ānayatām iha ||
Bṛhadaśva said: “O great-minded one, restrain these swift horses for a moment. Let Vārṣṇeya get down and bring my fallen cloth here.”
बृहदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even minor distractions and impulsive haste can create openings for harm; steadiness of mind (buddhi) and careful attention to duty are repeatedly tested in the Nala narrative.
A request is made to restrain the fast horses so that Vārṣṇeya may dismount and retrieve a fallen cloth; this brief stop functions as a pivotal moment within the unfolding episode.