Shloka 8

दमयन्ती-शपथः वायोः साक्ष्यं च

Damayantī’s Oath and Vāyu’s Testimony

Devanagari script

केशिन्युवाच दृढं शुच्युपचारोडसौ न मया मानुष: क्वचित्‌ | दृष्टपूर्व: श्रुतो वापि दमयन्ति तथाविध:,केशिनीने कहा--दमयन्ती! उसका प्रत्येक व्यवहार अत्यन्त पवित्र है। ऐसा मनुष्य तो मैंने कहीं भी पहले न तो देखा है और न सुना ही है

Transliteration

keśiny uvāca—dṛḍhaṁ śucy-upacāro ’sau na mayā mānuṣaḥ kvacit dṛṣṭa-pūrvaḥ śruto vāpi damayantī tathā-vidhā

Translation

Keśinī berkata: “Wahai Damayantī, laku-pekertinya teguh dalam kesucian dan tata krama. Tak pernah aku melihat manusia seperti itu di mana pun, bahkan mendengarnya pun tidak.”

Word by Word

• {'keśinī uvāca': 'Keśinī said', 'dṛḍham': 'firmly, steadfastly', 'śuci': 'pure, clean, morally spotless', 'upacāra': 'conduct, behavior

• proper observance/courtesy', 'asau': 'she/that person (here, Damayantī)', 'na': 'not', 'mayā': 'by me', 'mānuṣaḥ': 'a human being, person', 'kvacit': 'anywhere, ever', 'dṛṣṭa-pūrvaḥ': 'seen before, previously witnessed', 'śrutaḥ': 'heard of', 'vā api': 'or even', 'damayantī': 'Damayantī (proper name)', 'tathā-vidhā': 'of such a kind, like that'}

Speaker

बृहृदश्च उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Keśinī
• Damayantī

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse upholds dharmic excellence as visible in consistent, pure conduct (śuci-upacāra). True virtue is recognized not by status but by steadfast ethical behavior that inspires admiration even in those who observe it closely.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Nala–Damayantī narrative within Vana Parva, Keśinī speaks in admiration of Damayantī, declaring that she has never seen or even heard of a human being whose purity and propriety of behavior are so exceptional.