Shloka 38
Adhyāya 76: Kuṇḍina-praveśaḥ, Bhīmena satkāraḥ, Ṛtuparṇa-kṣamā, Aśvahṛdaya-pratyarpanam
Nala’s Reception and Reconciliation
उपायो विहितश्चायं त्वदर्थमतुलो5नया । न होकाह्वा शतं गन्ता त्वामृतेडन्य: पुमानिह,“तुम्हारी प्राप्तिके लिये दमयन्तीने यह अनुपम उपाय ढूँढ़ निकाला था; क्योंकि इस जगतमें तुम्हारे सिवा दूसरा कोई पुरुष नहीं है, जो एक दिनमें सौ योजन (रथद्वारा) जा सके
upāyo vihitaś cāyaṃ tvad-artham atulo 'nayā | na hy ekāhvaśataṃ gantā tvām ṛte 'nyaḥ pumān iha ||
“Demi dirimu, Damayantī menyusun siasat yang tiada banding ini; sebab di dunia ini, selain engkau, tak ada lelaki lain yang mampu menempuh seratus yojana dalam satu hari.”
बृहदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfast devotion and intelligent effort: Damayantī’s loyal resolve leads her to craft an exceptional plan, and Nala’s unique capability becomes the ethical means for reunion rather than mere display of power.
Bṛhadaśva, narrating the Nala–Damayantī episode, explains that Damayantī devised a special scheme to reach Nala, relying on the fact that only Nala could cover an extraordinary distance—‘a hundred yojanas in a day’—thus making the plan workable.