Shloka 27
अक्षद्यूतप्रवेशः — Kali’s Entry and the Initiation of the Dice-Contest
सख्यश्चास्या मया दृष्टास्ताभिश्नाप्युपलक्षित: । विस्मिताश्चा भवन् सर्वा दृष्टवा मां विबुधेश्वरा:,दमयन्तीकी सखियोंको भी मैंने देखा और उन सखियोंने भी मुझे देखा। देवेश्वरो! वे सब मुझे देखकर आश्वर्यचकित हो गयीं
sakhyaś cāsyā mayā dṛṣṭās tābhiś cāpy upalakṣitaḥ | vismitāś cābhavan sarvā dṛṣṭvā māṃ vibudheśvara ||
Nala said: “I saw her companions, and they too recognized me. O lord of the gods, when they beheld me, all of them were struck with astonishment.”
नल उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid disguise, exile, or misfortune, truth tends to surface through recognition and witness; the episode underscores endurance and the moral weight of fidelity and rightful identity in the Nala–Damayantī narrative.
Nala reports that he encountered Damayantī’s companions; they saw him and recognized him, and their reaction was collective astonishment, which he relates while addressing Indra as ‘vibudheśvara’.