Shloka 3
दमयन्तीस्वयंवरः — देववेषधारणं, सत्यप्रार्थना, नलवरणम्
Damayantī’s Svayaṃvara: Divine Disguises, Truth-Vow, and Choosing Nala
ऊर्ध्वदृष्टिर्यानपरा बभूवोन्मत्तदर्शना | पाण्डुवर्णा क्षणेनाथ हृच्छयाविष्टचेतना,ऊपरकी ओर निहारती हुई सदा नलके ध्यानमें परायण रहती थी। देखनेमें उन्मत्त-सी जान पड़ती थी। उसका शरीर पाण्डुवर्णका हो गया। कामवेदनाकी अधिकतासे उसकी चेतना क्षण-क्षणमें विलुप्त-सी हो जाती थी
bṛhadaśva uvāca | ūrdhvadṛṣṭir yānaparā babhūvonmattadarśanā | pāṇḍuvarṇā kṣaṇenātha hṛcchayāviṣṭacetanā ||
Mantenía la mirada alzada, enteramente absorta en Nala. Parecía como enajenada. En un instante su cuerpo se tornó pálido y, oprimida por el tormento del amor, su mente parecía desvanecerse una y otra vez.
बृहदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how overpowering attachment and separation can destabilize the mind and body; it implicitly warns that unchecked passion (kāma) can eclipse steadiness and well-being, making inner discipline and support essential in distress.
Bṛhadaśva describes the heroine’s condition in separation from Nala: she remains absorbed in him, looks upward as if lost in thought, appears almost mad, turns pale, and repeatedly loses clarity of consciousness due to intense love-torment.