Shloka 3
कलेर्द्वापरस्य च नले प्रति कोपः
Kali and Dvāpara’s Resolve Against Nala
एवमुक्तो नैषधेन मघवानभ्यभाषत । अमरान् वै निबोधास्मान् दमयन्त्यर्थमागतान्,निषधराज नलके इस प्रकार पूछनेपर इन्द्रने कहा--“भूपाल! तुम हमें देवता समझो, हम दमयन्तीको प्राप्त करनेके लिये यहाँ आये हैं!
evam ukto naiṣadhena maghavān abhyabhāṣata | amarān vai nibodhāsmān damayanty-artham āgatān, niṣadharāja nala ||
Thus addressed by the king of Niṣadha, Maghavan (Indra) replied: “O king, understand us to be the immortals (gods). We have come here for the sake of Damayantī, O ruler of Niṣadha, Nala.” The moment frames a moral tension: divine desire enters a human sphere, testing Nala’s discernment, restraint, and adherence to dharma amid competing claims.
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights discernment and dharma under pressure: even when divine powers assert their claims, a righteous person must respond with clarity, restraint, and fidelity to ethical duty rather than being overwhelmed by status or fear.
After Nala questions them, Indra identifies himself and the others as gods who have come with Damayantī as their objective—setting up the conflict in which Nala must navigate divine competition in the matter of Damayantī’s choice.