Shloka 5
कलेर्द्वापरस्य च नले प्रति कोपः
Kali and Dvāpara’s Resolve Against Nala
त्वं वै समागतानस्मान् दमयन्त्यै निवेदय । लोकपाला महेन्द्राद्या: समायान्ति दिदृक्षव:,“मैं इन्द्र हूँ, ये अग्निदेव हैं, ये जलके स्वामी वरुण और ये प्राणियोंके शरीरका नाश करनेवाले साक्षात् यमराज हैं। आप दमयन्तीके पास जाकर उसे हमारे आगमनकी सूचना दे दीजिये और कहिये--महेन्द्र आदि लोकपाल तुम्हें देखनेके लिये आ रहे हैं
tvaṃ vai samāgatān asmān damayantyai nivedaya | lokapālā mahendrādyāḥ samāyānti didṛkṣavaḥ ||
Bṛhadaśva said: “Go and announce our arrival to Damayantī. The guardians of the worlds—beginning with great Indra—are coming, eager to see her.” The moment underscores the extraordinary moral and personal stature attributed to Damayantī: even the highest divine rulers seek an audience, and proper protocol—formal notification and respectful approach—is observed.
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic conduct in social and royal settings: even exalted beings follow proper etiquette—announcing themselves and approaching respectfully—implying that true greatness is aligned with restraint, protocol, and honoring the dignity of the person being approached.
Bṛhadaśva instructs someone to go to Damayantī and inform her that the Lokapālas, led by Indra, have arrived and are coming to see her—setting the stage for the divine presence at Damayantī’s svayaṃvara context.