Character

Nala

नल

king of Nishadha

verses
658
books
8
chapters
61
Consort of
Damayanti

What the texts say

In the Mahabharata, Nala, king of Nishadha and Virasena's son, discerned dharma and artha and was handsome and skilled with horses. Mahabharata 3.49.39, 3.50.1 Damayanti, daughter of the king of Vidarbha, grew unsettled in mind for Nala after a swan's words, and chose him. Mahabharata 3.51.1, 3.54.25Mahabharata (Gita Press) 3.64.33 Kali, angry, entered Nala and urged Pushkara to play dice with him, and Pushkara won his kingdom. Mahabharata 3.55.12, 3.56.4Mahabharata (Gita Press) 3.61.1 Nala left Damayanti asleep in the forest, and the serpent Karkotaka's bite made his form vanish. Mahabharata 3.74.9, 3.63.11 Nala, told to go to Ayodhya as the charioteer Bahuka, was later recognised by Damayanti as the king. Mahabharata 3.63.19Mahabharata (Gita Press) 3.75.23

Where to read

Every verse that names Nala, book by book.

    • 3.70.3

      Kemudian, ketika kain itu terjatuh, sang raja—bergegas—berkata kepada Nala yang berhati luhur: “Aku akan mengambilnya kembali.”

    • 3.69.2

      Aku ingin pergi ke Vidarbha untuk svayaṃvara Damayantī. Wahai Bāhuka, engkau yang mengetahui hakikat kuda, jika menurutmu hal itu mungkin ditempuh dalam satu hari, katakanlah.

    • 3.58.1

      Bṛhadaśva berkata: Kemudian, ketika Vārṣṇeya (Nala), raja yang termasyhur karena kebajikannya, maju untuk berjudi, Puṣkara merampas kemenangannya—kerajaannya dan segala harta lain yang ada.

  1. Bhagavatam

    5 verses · 1 chapter

    • 12.3.9-11

      Śrī Śuka berkata: Raja-raja seperti Pṛthu, Purūravā, Gādhi, Nahuṣa, Bharata, Kārtavīrya Arjuna, Māndhātā, Sagara, Rāma, Khaṭvāṅga, Dhundhuhā, Raghu; Tṛṇabindu, Yayāti, Śaryāti, Śantanu, Gaya; Bhagīratha, Kuvalayāśva, Kakutstha, Naiṣadha…

    • 12.3.12-13

      Śrī Śukadeva berkata: Raja-raja seperti Pṛthu, Purūravā, Gādhi, Nahuṣa, Bharata, Kārtavīrya Arjuna, Māndhātā, Sagara, Rāma, Khaṭvāṅga, Dhundhuhā, Raghu, Tṛṇabindu, Yayāti, Śaryāti, Śantanu, Gaya, Bhagīratha, Kuvalayāśva, Kakutstha…

  2. Skanda Purana

    4 verses · 3 chapters

    • 3.3.4.43

      Engkau akan memilihku sebagai suami, sebagaimana Damayantī memilih raja Naiṣadha. Aku akan menaklukkan semua raja dan, setelah memperolehmu—wahai yang berparas elok—menjadikanmu milikku.

    • 3.3.9.30

      Maka kedua putra brāhmaṇa itu, atas titah raja, menjadi sepasang ‘suami-istri’ dan berangkat ke negeri Naiṣadha, seraya berkata, “Biarlah apa pun yang harus terjadi, terjadi.”

    • 3.3.13.63

      Setelah menasihati raja Naiṣadha, “Anugerahkanlah dia kepada Bhadrāyuṣa,” Ṛṣabha pun berangkat—ia yang mengetahui hakikat tempat, waktu, dan tujuan.

  3. Brahmanda Purana

    4 verses · 4 chapters

    • 1.14.49

      Wilayah yang dikenal sebagai ‘Naishadha’ dianugerahkan kepada Harivarsha. Dan tanah bagian tengah Gunung Sumeru dianugerahkan kepada Ilavrita.

    • 1.15.32

      Sesudah ini ada Hemakūṭa, yang juga dikenang dengan sebutan Kiṃśurūpa. Setelah Hemakūṭa terdapat Naiṣadha; itulah yang disebut Harivarṣa.

    • 1.18.53

      Kemudian sungai suci Hlādinī bergerak menghadap ke timur, mengaliri serta menyucikan Upabhāga, Naiṣadha, dan Trigarta.

Key chapters

The chapters where Nala matters most.

  1. Transmission of Akṣa-hṛdaya; Kali’s Exit and the Bibhītaka Refuge

    Mahabharata 3.70 · 38 verses

    Disguised hero whose practical mastery meets and then absorbs…

  2. Ṛtuparṇa’s resolve to go to Vidarbha and Bāhuka’s examination of horses

    Mahabharata 3.69 · 32 verses

    छद्मवेशी नायक

  3. Nala’s Disrobing and Damayantī’s Companionship

    Mahabharata 3.58 · 31 verses

    Fallen king confronting disgrace, hunger, and predatory fate

  4. Keśinī’s Inquiry to Bāhuka and the Emotional Signs of Concealed Identity (केशिन्याः बाहुकपरीक्षा)

    Mahabharata 3.72 · 29 verses

    Concealed protagonist

  5. Nala’s Victory over Puṣkara in the Dice-Game

    Mahabharata 3.77 · 27 verses

    Protagonist reclaiming sovereignty through disciplined…

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

    Mahabharata 3.73 · 25 verses

    Hidden protagonist whose embodied skills and involuntary…

  7. Nala’s Abandonment of Damayantī in the Lodging Hall

    Mahabharata 3.59 · 24 verses

    Tragic agent under inner coercion, rationalizing abandonment as…

  8. Karkoṭaka’s Counsel and Nala’s Concealment

    Mahabharata 3.63 · 24 verses

    Fallen king at the nadir of fortune who becomes a deliberate…

  9. Nala’s Embassy to Damayantī and the Gods’ Proposal (नलस्य दूतत्वं देवप्रस्तावश्च)

    Mahabharata 3.52 · 22 verses

    Reluctant divine envoy and conflicted lover

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

    Mahabharata 3.74 · 22 verses

    Disguised king who receives indictment, explains the…

Key episodes

  1. Nala and Damayanti

    Mahabharata 3.50-3.78

Also known to Wikipedia · Wikidata Q2588460