Shloka 20
Damayantī’s Proposal of a Witnessed Choice; Nala Reports to the Lokapālas
Adhyāya 53
ततो<न््तरिक्षगो वाचं व्याजहार नल॑ तदा । हन्तव्यो5स्मि न ते राजन् करिष्यामि तव प्रियम्
tato 'ntarikṣago vācaṃ vyājahāra nalaḥ tadā | hantavyo 'smi na te rājan kariṣyāmi tava priyam ||
Then Nala, speaking as a voice from the sky, declared: “O King, I am not to be slain by you. I will do what is pleasing to you.” The moment underscores a restraint grounded in dharma: even amid danger and uncertainty, the higher order intervenes to prevent wrongful violence and to guide the king toward a rightful course.
बृहृदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic restraint: even when power allows harm, one should not commit wrongful violence. A higher moral order (symbolized by the ‘voice from the sky’) redirects action toward what is proper and beneficial rather than destructive.
Nala speaks as an aerial/sky-borne voice, addressing a king and declaring that the king should not kill him; instead, Nala promises to do what the king desires. The scene functions as a turning point where potential harm is averted and the relationship is reframed through assurance and service.