Shloka 11
Adhyāya 73: Damayantī’s Investigation of Bāhuka
Keśinī’s Observations
यदि मां मेघनिर्घोषो नोपगच्छति नैषध: । अद्य चामीकरप्रख्य॑ प्रवेक्ष्यामि हुताशनम्,यदि रथद्वारा मेघके समान गम्भीर गर्जना करनेवाले निषधदेशके स्वामी महाराज नल आज मेरे पास नहीं पधारेंगे तो मैं सुवर्णके समान देदीप्यमान दहकती हुई आगमें प्रवेश कर जाऊँगी
yadi māṃ meghanirghoṣo nopagacchati naiṣadhaḥ | adya cāmīkaraprakhyāṃ pravekṣyāmi hutāśanam ||
«Si Nala, señor de Niṣadha —cuya voz es profunda como el bramido de las nubes de tormenta—, no viene a mí hoy, entonces hoy mismo entraré en el fuego abrasador, resplandeciente como el oro.»
बृहदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how intense grief can drive one toward self-destructive resolve, implicitly warning that steadfastness in dharma requires endurance and discernment even under emotional extremes; fidelity and honor are affirmed, but despair is shown as a dangerous force.
A speaker reports a conditional vow: if Nala, the king of Niṣadha, does not arrive that day, the speaker declares an intention to enter the blazing fire. The statement dramatizes urgency and the stakes of reunion amid separation.