Character

Damayanti

दमयन्तीDamayantī

verses
664
books
9
chapters
60
Consort of
Nala

What the texts say

In the Mahabharata, Damayanti is the daughter of Bhima, king of Vidarbha. Mahabharata 3.66.1, 3.61.72 Hearing a swan's words about Nala, king of Nishadha, she grew restless in mind for him. Mahabharata 3.51.1, 3.54.25 At her svayamvara, the choosing of a husband, she chose him in accordance with dharma. Mahabharata 3.54.25 She then sent Sudeva, a brahmin, to King Rituparna of Ayodhya with word of another svayamvara, since it was not known whether Nala was alive or dead. Mahabharata 3.65.6, 3.68.21, 3.68.23 Nala and she had two children, a son Indrasena and a daughter. Mahabharata (Gita Press) 3.57.46

Where to read

Every verse that names Damayanti, book by book.

  1. Mahabharata

    578 verses · 35 chapters

    All 578 verses in the Mahabharata

    Also in the Gita Press edition: 403 verses

    • 3.61.12

      Damayanti boli, tumhara seena sher jaisa hai, tumhare haath bade taqatwar hain. Tum Nishadon ke raja ho. Raja sahab, tum kahan chale gaye? Mujhe akeli is jungle mein chhod ke gaye ho.

    • 3.60.1

      Brihadashva ne kaha - Raja, jab Nala wahan se chala gaya, Damayanti ki thakan uttar gayi aur woh jaag gayi. Woh akeli jungle mein darr gayi thi.

    • 3.65.2

      Bhima ne unhe bahut saara paisa diya aur kaha ki tum log Nala ko dhoondho. Meri beti Damayanti ko bhi dhoondho. Woh dono kahin bhi ho, unhe lao.

  2. Skanda Purana

    37 verses · 11 chapters

    All 37 verses in the Skanda Purana
    • 6.1.111.28

      Wahan rishi log rehte the ek ashram mein. Unmein ek aurat thi jiska naam Damayanti tha. Uska chehra chaand jaisa tha.

    • 3.1.36.185

      Nala ne Mahalaya kiya. Damayanti ka pati tha woh. Bahut bada musibat aaya uspe. Phir bhi usne duniya wapas paa li.

    • 3.3.2.29

      Us bade raja ki biwi ka naam Madayanti tha. Woh bahut acchi thi, Damayanti jaisi famous thi jo Nal ki patni thi.

  3. Devi Bhagavatam

    33 verses · 4 chapters

    All 33 verses in the Devi Bhagavatam
    • 6.27.1

      Ab Narada ki shaadi ki baat aati hai. Damayanti ke saath shaadi, lekin yeh maya thi. Narada ne kaha Raja ne apni beti ki baat suni. Nurse ne bataya. Phir raja paas gaya apni patni Kaikeyi ke. Woh khadi thi paas hi, aankhein khoobsurat.

    • 6.26.1

      Vyas ji ne kaha, maine jo baat bataayi, woh sun ke Narad muskura diye. Narad ko sachchi baat ka poora ilm hai. Main unse poochh raha tha ki bhram ka karan kya hai.

    • 9.1.130

      Varunani ka naam chalta hai, woh Varuna ki patni hain. Vindhyavali bhi mashhoor hain, woh Bali ki biwi hain. Damayanti bahut sundar thi. Yashoda aur Devaki bhi is list mein hain.

  4. Shiva Purana

    6 verses · 3 chapters

    • 3.28.30

      Tum bina kisi buraai ke ho, Vidarbha ki nagri mein Raja Bhima ki beti banogi. Tumhari badnaayi Damayanti ke naam se hogi, aur tum mein acchi baatein hongi.

    • 4.10.2

      Us raja ki rani thi Madayanti. Woh bhi bahut acchi thi, dharam mein pakki. Log usko Damayanti jaisi maante the, Nal ki patni jaisi acchi thi.

    • 4.37.54

      Us Bhille ke punya ki wajah se woh Nala bana. Woh pehle jungle mein rehta tha. Phir woh bada raja bana. Damayanti phir se uski pyaar bani.

Also named in

Key chapters

The chapters where Damayanti matters most.

  1. Damayantī’s Passage through the Wilderness

    Mahabharata 3.61 · 103 verses

    Central agent and sufferer

  2. Damayantī’s Lament, Serpent-Seizure, Rescue by the Hunter, and the Curse

    Mahabharata 3.60 · 36 verses

    Central agent of pathos and moral force

  3. Sudeva Identifies Damayantī in Cedi (सुदेवेन दमयन्ती-परिचयः)

    Mahabharata 3.65 · 36 verses

    The recognized heroine whose suffering, fidelity, and dignity…

  4. दमयन्त्या वणिजां सार्थगमनम्, हस्तियूथविप्लवः, चेदिराजपुरप्रवेशश्च (Damayantī joins a caravan; elephant-herd catastrophe; entry into Cedi)

    Mahabharata 3.62 · 33 verses

    Central agent of fidelity and endurance

  5. Damayantī’s Recognition by the Piplū Mark and Her Return to Vidarbha

    Mahabharata 3.66 · 26 verses

    Suffering heroine whose identity, dignity, and agency are…

  6. Damayantī’s Svayaṃvara: Divine Disguises, Truth-Vow, and Choosing Nala

    Mahabharata 3.54 · 25 verses

    Agent of choice whose discernment and satya become the decisive…

  7. Damayantī’s Dialogue with Bāhuka; Recognition and Disclosure

    Mahabharata 3.74 · 24 verses

    Moral interrogator and wounded spouse who converts private…

  8. Adhyāya 73: Damayantī’s Investigation of Bāhuka (Keśinī’s Observations)

    Mahabharata 3.73 · 22 verses

    Investigator and suffering spouse who converts grief into…

  9. Damayantī’s Message and the Dispatch of Brahmin Envoys

    Mahabharata 3.67 · 21 verses

    Strategist and moral petitioner

  10. Parṇāda’s Report; Bāhuka’s Counsel; Damayantī’s Strategic Svayaṃvara Message (अध्याय ६८)

    Mahabharata 3.68 · 21 verses

    Strategist-heroine who converts grief into controlled action to…

Key episodes

  1. Nala and Damayanti

    Mahabharata 3.50-3.78

Also known to Wikipedia · Wikidata Q3521321