Shloka 12
Adhyāya 76: Kuṇḍina-praveśaḥ, Bhīmena satkāraḥ, Ṛtuparṇa-kṣamā, Aśvahṛdaya-pratyarpanam
Nala’s Reception and Reconciliation
किमु तस्य मया बाल्यादपराद्ध॑ महीपते: । यो मामुत्सृज्य विपिने गतवान् निद्रयार्दिताम्,“न जाने उन महाराजका मैंने बचपनसे ही क्या अपराध किया था, जो नींदकी मारी हुई मुझ असहाय अबलाको जंगलमें छोड़कर चल दिये
Bṛhadaśva uvāca: kimu tasya mayā bālyād aparāddhaṃ mahīpateḥ | yo mām utsṛjya vipine gatavān nidrayārdhitām ||
Bṛhadaśva said: “What wrong had I ever done to that king, from my very childhood, that he could abandon me—helpless and overcome by sleep—and go away, leaving me in the forest?”
बृहदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical failure of abandoning a vulnerable person and implicitly questions the dharma of a ruler: power and status do not justify cruelty, neglect, or betrayal of trust—especially toward one who is helpless.
The speaker voices grief and indignation, asking what offense she could have committed since childhood that the king would leave her behind in the forest while she was overcome by sleep, emphasizing her helplessness and the king’s heartless departure.