Shloka 20
Nala’s Embassy to Damayantī and the Gods’ Proposal (नलस्य दूतत्वं देवप्रस्तावश्च)
यज्ैश्न विविधैस्तात कृतं पापमरिंदम | अवधूय महाराज गच्छेम स्वर्गमुत्तमम्,“तात! शत्रुदमन! महाराज! हम नाना प्रकारके यज्ञोंका अनुष्ठान करके अपने किये हुए पापको धो-बहाकर उत्तम स्वर्गलोकमें चलेंगे
yajñaiś ca vividhaiḥ tāta kṛtaṃ pāpam ariṃdama | avadhūya mahārāja gacchema svargam uttamam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Dear son—O subduer of foes, O great king—having performed many kinds of sacrificial rites, we shall wash away the sin we have committed and then depart to the highest heaven.” The line frames ritual action as a means of moral purification and posthumous ascent, reflecting the epic’s recurring tension between wrongdoing, expiation, and the hope of a righteous end.
वैशम्पायन उवाच