Shloka 10
दमयन्त्याः अरण्यविहारः — Damayantī’s Passage through the Wilderness
स तथा नगराभ्याशे सत्काराहों न सस्कृतः । त्रिरात्रमुषितो राजा जलमात्रेण वर्तयन्,इस प्रकार राजा नल अपने नगरके समीप तीन राततक केवल जलमात्रका आहार करके टिके रहे। वे सर्वथा सत्कारके योग्य थे तो भी उनका सत्कार नहीं किया गया
sa tathā nagarābhyāśe satkārārho na saṃskṛtaḥ | trirātram uṣito rājā jalamātreṇa vartayan ||
Thus King Nala stayed near his own city for three nights, sustaining himself on water alone. Though he was fully deserving of honor and hospitality, he was not received with due respect—highlighting how misfortune can strip even the worthy of recognition and how society’s duty of hospitality may fail when appearances deceive.
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the dharmic duty of honoring and offering hospitality to the worthy, and warns that social recognition often follows outward signs of fortune rather than true merit; ethical conduct should not depend on appearances.
In Bṛhadaśva’s narration of Nala’s ordeal, Nala remains near his own city for three nights, living only on water, yet receives no proper welcome or respect despite being deserving—showing the depth of his fallen condition and isolation.