Character
Nala
नल
king of Nishadha
- verses
- 658
- books
- 8
- chapters
- 61
- Consort of
- Damayanti
What the texts say
In the Mahabharata, Nala, king of Nishadha and Virasena's son, discerned dharma and artha and was handsome and skilled with horses. Mahabharata 3.49.39, 3.50.1 Damayanti, daughter of the king of Vidarbha, grew unsettled in mind for Nala after a swan's words, and chose him. Mahabharata 3.51.1, 3.54.25Mahabharata (Gita Press) 3.64.33 Kali, angry, entered Nala and urged Pushkara to play dice with him, and Pushkara won his kingdom. Mahabharata 3.55.12, 3.56.4Mahabharata (Gita Press) 3.61.1 Nala left Damayanti asleep in the forest, and the serpent Karkotaka's bite made his form vanish. Mahabharata 3.74.9, 3.63.11 Nala, told to go to Ayodhya as the charioteer Bahuka, was later recognised by Damayanti as the king. Mahabharata 3.63.19Mahabharata (Gita Press) 3.75.23
Where to read
Every verse that names Nala, book by book.
- 3.70.3
Entonces, al caer el paño, el rey, apresurándose, dijo a Nala, el magnánimo: «Lo recuperaré».
- 3.69.2
Deseo ir a Vidarbha para el svayaṃvara de Damayantī. Si juzgas que es posible en un solo día, oh Bāhuka, conocedor de los caballos, dímelo.
- 3.58.1
Bṛhadaśva dijo: Entonces, cuando el Vārṣṇeya (Nala), el de fama piadosa, se entregó al juego, Puṣkara le arrebató el reino y también cualquier otra riqueza que hubiera.
- 3.70.3
Bhagavatam
5 verses · 1 chapter
- 12.3.9-11
Śrī Śuka dijo: Reyes como Pṛthu, Purūravā, Gādhi, Nahuṣa, Bharata, Kārtavīrya Arjuna, Māndhātā, Sagara, Rāma, Khaṭvāṅga, Dhundhuhā, Raghu; Tṛṇabindu, Yayāti, Śaryāti, Śantanu, Gaya; Bhagīratha, Kuvalayāśva, Kakutstha, Naiṣadha, Nṛga…
- 12.3.12-13
Śrī Śukadeva dijo: Reyes como Pṛthu, Purūravā, Gādhi, Nahuṣa, Bharata, Kārtavīrya Arjuna, Māndhātā, Sagara, Rāma, Khaṭvāṅga, Dhundhuhā, Raghu, Tṛṇabindu, Yayāti, Śaryāti, Śantanu, Gaya, Bhagīratha, Kuvalayāśva, Kakutstha, Naiṣadha, Nṛga…
- 12.3.9-11
Skanda Purana
4 verses · 3 chapters
- 3.3.4.43
Me elegirás a mí como esposo, tal como Damayantī eligió al rey de Naiṣadha. Y yo, tras vencer a todos los reyes y haberte ganado, oh de bello semblante, te tomaré por mía.
- 3.3.9.30
Así, aquellos dos hijos de brāhmaṇa, convertidos en «esposos» por orden del rey, partieron a la tierra de Naiṣadha, diciendo: «Que suceda lo que haya de suceder».
- 3.3.13.63
Tras instruir al rey de Naiṣadha: «Entrégasela a Bhadrāyuṣa», Ṛṣabha se marchó entonces, él que conocía los verdaderos principios de lugar, tiempo y propósito.
- 3.3.4.43
Brahmanda Purana
4 verses · 4 chapters
- 1.14.49
La región recordada como ‘Naiṣadha’ se la dio a Harivarsha. Y la tierra central de Sumeru se la otorgó a Ilavrita.
- 1.15.32
Más allá está Hemakūṭa, recordado también como Kiṃśurūpa. Después de Hemakūṭa se halla Naiṣadha; a esa región se la llama Harivarṣa.
- 1.18.53
Después, la santa Hlādinī se encaminó hacia el oriente, fluyendo mientras purificaba a Upabhāga, Naiṣadha y Trigarta.
- 1.14.49
Key chapters
The chapters where Nala matters most.
Transmission of Akṣa-hṛdaya; Kali’s Exit and the Bibhītaka Refuge
Disguised hero whose practical mastery meets and then absorbs…
Ṛtuparṇa’s resolve to go to Vidarbha and Bāhuka’s examination of horses
छद्मवेशी नायक
Nala’s Disrobing and Damayantī’s Companionship
Fallen king confronting disgrace, hunger, and predatory fate
Keśinī’s Inquiry to Bāhuka and the Emotional Signs of Concealed Identity (केशिन्याः बाहुकपरीक्षा)
Concealed protagonist
Nala’s Victory over Puṣkara in the Dice-Game
Protagonist reclaiming sovereignty through disciplined…
Adhyāya 73: Damayantī’s Investigation of Bāhuka (Keśinī’s Observations)
Hidden protagonist whose embodied skills and involuntary…
Nala’s Abandonment of Damayantī in the Lodging Hall
Tragic agent under inner coercion, rationalizing abandonment as…
Karkoṭaka’s Counsel and Nala’s Concealment
Fallen king at the nadir of fortune who becomes a deliberate…
Nala’s Embassy to Damayantī and the Gods’ Proposal (नलस्य दूतत्वं देवप्रस्तावश्च)
Reluctant divine envoy and conflicted lover
Damayantī’s Dialogue with Bāhuka; Recognition and Disclosure
Disguised king who receives indictment, explains the…
Key episodes
Nala and Damayanti
Mahabharata 3.50-3.78
Also known to Wikipedia · Wikidata Q2588460