Shloka 22
अक्षद्यूतप्रवेशः — Kali’s Entry and the Initiation of the Dice-Contest
एवमुक्तस्तु वैदर्भ्या नलो राजा विशाम्पते । आजमगाम पुनस्तत्र यत्र देवा: समागता:,युधिष्ठिर! विदर्भराजकुमारीके ऐसा कहनेपर राजा नल पुनः वहीं लौट आये, जहाँ देवताओंसे उनकी भेंट हुई थी
evam uktas tu vaidarbhya nalō rājā viśāmpate | ājamagāma punas tatra yatra devāḥ samāgatāḥ, yudhiṣṭhira |
Thus addressed by the princess of Vidarbha, King Nala—O lord of the people—returned again to the very place where the gods had assembled, O Yudhiṣṭhira. The verse highlights Nala’s dutiful response: he acts after hearing Damayantī’s words and proceeds back to the divine meeting-point, indicating obedience to circumstance and the weight of commitments made in the presence of higher powers.
बृहदश्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores responsiveness to rightful counsel and the seriousness of actions connected with divine witnesses: Nala, after hearing Damayantī, returns to the place where the gods had gathered, suggesting accountability and duty-bound conduct.
Bṛhadaśva tells Yudhiṣṭhira that Nala, having been addressed by Damayantī (the Vidarbha princess), goes back again to the spot where he had earlier met the assembled gods—setting up the next development in the Nala–Damayantī episode.