Shloka 10
Adhyāya 73: Damayantī’s Investigation of Bāhuka
Keśinī’s Observations
यदि वै तस्य वीरस्य बाह्दोनच्याहमन्तरम् । प्रविशामि सुखस्पर्श न भविष्याम्यसंशयम्,आज यदि मैं उन वीरशिरोमणि नलकी दोनों भुजाओंके मध्यभागमें, जिसका स्पर्श अत्यन्त सुखद है, प्रवेश न कर सकी तो अवश्य जीवित न रह सकूँगी
yadi vai tasya vīrasya bāhvor madhyāham antaram | praviśāmi sukha-sparśaṁ na bhaviṣyāmy asaṁśayam ||
“If today I cannot enter the space between the two arms of that heroic Nala—whose touch is exceedingly delightful—then, without doubt, I shall not remain alive.”
बृहदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how overpowering desire and fixation can distort judgment, producing extreme, self-destructive resolve; it implicitly warns that unchecked attachment can eclipse restraint and dharma.
A speaker (introduced as Bṛhadaśvā in the edition) voices an intense determination centered on Nala’s embrace—declaring that failure to reach the space between his arms today would mean certain death—thereby heightening the emotional stakes of the episode.