Shloka 20
जित्वा च पुष्करं राजा प्रहसन्निदमब्रवीत् । मम सर्वमिदं राज्यमव्यग्रं हतकण्टकम्,पुष्करको परास्त करके राजा नलने हँसते हुए उससे कहा--“नृपाधम! अब यह शान्त और अकण्टक सारा राज्य मेरे अधिकारमें आ गया। विदर्भकुमारी दमयन्तीकी ओर तू आँख उठाकर देख भी नहीं सकता। मूर्ख! आजसे तू परिवारसहित दमयन्तीका दास हो गया
bṛhadaśva uvāca | jitvā ca puṣkaraṃ rājā prahasann idam abravīt | mama sarvam idaṃ rājyam avyagraṃ hatakaṇṭakam | puṣkarako parāstaḥ kṛtvā rājā nalaṃ haṃsate huye usse kahā— “nṛpādhama! aba yaha śānta aura akaṇṭaka sārā rājya mere adhikāra meṃ ā gayā. vidarbhakumārī damayantī kī ora tū āṅkh uṭhākar dekh bhī nahīṃ saktā. mūrkha! āj se tū parivār-sahit damayantī kā dāsa ho gayā.”
Having defeated Puṣkara, King Nala, smiling, said: “This entire kingdom is now mine—secure, undisturbed, and ‘without thorns,’ that is, free of obstacles and rivals. You may not even raise your eyes toward Damayantī, the princess of Vidarbha. Fool! From today, you and your household have become Damayantī’s slaves.”
बृहदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that victory, especially gained through exploitative means, can breed arrogance and cruelty. Ethical kingship (rāja-dharma) requires restraint and protection of dignity; using power to mock, dispossess, and claim control over another’s spouse and household is portrayed as a moral degradation.
After the dice contest, Puṣkara has defeated Nala and, smiling in triumph, declares that the kingdom is now his—safe and obstacle-free. He then insults Nala and asserts that Nala may not even look at Damayantī, claiming that Nala and his family have become Damayantī’s slaves, intensifying Nala’s humiliation and loss.