Shloka 28

अक्षद्यूतप्रवेशः — Kali’s Entry and the Initiation of the Dice-Contest

Devanagari script

वर्ण्यमानेषु च मया भवत्सु रुचिरानना | मामेव गतसंकल्पा वृणीते सा सुरोत्तमा:,श्रेष्ठ देवताओ! जब मैं आपलोगोंके प्रभावका वर्णन करने लगा, उस समय सुमुखी दमयन्तीने मुझमें ही अपना मानसिक संकल्प रखकर मेरा ही वरण किया

Transliteration

varṇyamāneṣu ca mayā bhavatsu rucirānanā | mām eva gatasankalpā vṛṇīte sā surottamāḥ ||

Translation

Nala said: “While I was describing your excellences to her, that fair-faced Damayantī fixed her resolve upon me alone and chose me—O best of the gods.”

Word by Word

• {'varṇyamāneṣu': 'when being described

• while recounting (locative absolute sense)', 'ca': 'and', 'mayā': 'by me', 'bhavatsu': 'you (honorific plural), in you/among you (locative)', 'rucirānanā': 'the lovely-faced woman (epithet of Damayantī)', 'mām eva': 'me alone', 'gatasankalpā': 'having set/fixed her intention

• resolved', 'vṛṇīte': 'chooses

• selects (as husband)', 'sā': 'she', 'surottamāḥ': 'O best of the gods (vocative plural)'}

Speaker

नल उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nala
• Damayantī
• the gods (Devas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Steadfast resolve and discernment: even amid dazzling alternatives and persuasive descriptions, Damayantī’s mind remains fixed on the one she has judged worthy, highlighting integrity of choice and constancy.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nala reports to the assembled gods that when he began praising their greatness to Damayantī, she nevertheless kept her intention on Nala alone and chose him in the marriage selection context.