Shloka 9
Rathaghoṣa–Saṃjñāna: Damayantī’s Inference and the Dispatch of the Envoy (Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 71)
इति निश्चित्य मनसा बाहुको दीनमानस: । कृताञ्जलिर्वाचेदमृतुपर्ण जनाधिपम्,मन-ही-मन ऐसा निश्चय करके दीनहृदय बाहुकने दोनों हाथ जोड़कर राजा ऋतुपर्णसे इस प्रकार कहा--“नरेश्वर! पुरुषसिंह! मैंने आपकी आज्ञा सुनी है, मैं प्रतिज्ञापूर्वक कहता हूँ कि मैं एक ही दिनमें विदर्भवेशकी राजधानीमें आपके साथ जा पहुँचूँगा"
iti niścitya manasā bāhuko dīnamānasaḥ | kṛtāñjalir vācedam ṛtuparṇaṃ janādhipam ||
Así resuelto en su mente, Bāhuka—con el corazón abatido por la aflicción—juntó las palmas con reverencia y habló al rey Ṛtuparṇa, señor de los hombres: «¡Oh soberano de los hombres, el mejor de los héroes! He escuchado tu mandato. Te lo prometo: en un solo día llegaré contigo a la capital de Vidarbha».
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfast resolve and ethical reliability: even in personal distress, one should speak respectfully, accept responsibility, and keep one’s pledged word—especially in service to a rightful authority.
Bāhuka (Nala in disguise) respectfully addresses King Ṛtuparṇa, affirming that he has understood the king’s order and promising to take him to Vidarbha’s capital within a single day—setting up the swift journey central to the Nala–Damayantī storyline.