Shloka 5
Keśinī’s Inquiry to Bāhuka and the Emotional Signs of Concealed Identity (केशिन्याः बाहुकपरीक्षा)
नलस्तं प्रत्युवाचाथ दूरे भ्रष्ट: पटस्तव । योजनं समतिक्रान्तो नाहतु शक््यते पुन:,यह सुनकर नलने उसे उत्तर दिया--“महाराज! आपका वस्त्र बहुत दूर गिरा है। मैं उस स्थानसे चार कोस आगे आ गया हूँ। अब फिर वह नहीं लाया जा सकता”
nalas taṃ pratyuvācātha dūre bhraṣṭaḥ paṭas tava | yojanaṃ samatikrānto nāhartuṃ śakyate punaḥ ||
Hearing this, Nala replied, “O king, your garment has fallen far behind. I have already gone beyond it by a yojana; it cannot now be brought back again.”
बृहदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the boundary between intention and feasibility: some losses cannot be reversed once one has moved far beyond them. Ethically, it suggests discernment—recognizing when a request cannot be fulfilled without unrealistic reversal of circumstances.
Nala responds to a king’s concern about a dropped garment, explaining that it has fallen far behind and that he has already gone beyond it by a yojana, making it impossible to retrieve now.