नलस्य बाहुकत्वेन ऋतुपर्णनगरप्रवेशः
Nala as Bāhuka enters Ṛtuparṇa’s city
ऋते त्वां मानुषीं मर्त्य न पश्यामि महावने । तथा नो यक्षराडद्य मणिभद्र: प्रसीदतु,“तुम-जैसी मानव-कन्याके सिवा और किसी मनुष्यको मैं इस विशाल वनमें नहीं देख रहा हूँ। इसलिये यक्षराज मणिभद्र आज हमपर प्रसन्न हों!
ṛte tvāṃ mānuṣīṃ martya na paśyāmi mahāvane | tathā no yakṣarāḍ adya maṇibhadraḥ prasīdatu ||
Dijo Bṛhadaśva: «Aparte de ti, oh doncella mortal, no veo a ningún otro ser humano en este vasto bosque. Por ello, que Maṇibhadra, rey de los Yakṣas, nos sea propicio hoy».
बृहृदश्च उवाच
The verse highlights discernment in uncertain surroundings and the human impulse to seek protection through respectful invocation of a powerful guardian-deity (here, the Yakṣa lord Maṇibhadra), reflecting a cultural ethic of humility and seeking auspicious favor when entering perilous spaces.
Bṛhadaśva observes that, in the vast forest, he sees no other human besides the addressed maiden. In response to the uncanny or potentially dangerous setting, he invokes Maṇibhadra, the Yakṣa-king, praying that the Yakṣa lord be pleased with them that day.