Shloka 28
Rathaghoṣa–Saṃjñāna: Damayantī’s Inference and the Dispatch of the Envoy (Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 71)
उताहोस्विद् भवेद् राजा नल: परपुरंजय: । सो<यं नृपतिरायात इत्येवं समचिन्तयत्,“अथवा शत्रुओंकी राजधानीपर विजय पानेवाले साक्षात् राजा नल ही तो इस रूपमें नहीं आ गये हैं? अवश्य वे ही हैं, इस प्रकार वार्ष्णेयने चिन्तन करना प्रारम्भ किया
ṛcūparṇa uvāca | utāhosvid bhaved rājā nalaḥ parapuraṃjayaḥ | so ’yaṃ nṛpatir āyāta iti evaṃ samacintayat |
Ṛtupārṇa berkata: “Ataukah ini Raja Nala, penakluk kota-kota musuh? Pastilah sang raja inilah yang datang.” Demikian ia merenung dalam hati.
ऋचुपर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights prudent judgment: even when suspicion arises, one should reflect carefully before declaring conclusions, especially when another’s identity and honor may be at stake.
Ṛtūparṇa, observing someone who seems extraordinary, begins to suspect that the person who has arrived may be King Nala—famed as a conqueror—possibly appearing in another form.