Shloka 15
दमयन्त्याः अरण्यविहारः — Damayantī’s Passage through the Wilderness
उत्पतन्तः खगा वाक्यमेतदाहुस्ततो नलम् | दृष्टवा दिग्वाससं भूमौ स्थितं दीनमधोमुखम्
utpatantaḥ khagā vākyam etad āhus tato nalam | dṛṣṭvā digvāsasaṃ bhūmau sthitaṃ dīnam adhomukham ||
Then the birds, taking flight, spoke these words to Nala, after seeing him on the ground—clad only in the directions, wretched, and with his face cast down. The scene underscores how a fall from fortune can strip a person of dignity, and how suffering, when met with humility rather than arrogance, becomes the beginning of moral awakening and endurance.
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and psychological truth that misfortune can reduce even a king to utter vulnerability; the proper response is humility and endurance, which prepare one for recovery and right action rather than despair or pride.
As Nala sits on the ground, naked and despondent with his face lowered, birds fly up and address him—marking a turning point where his degraded condition is witnessed and commented upon, setting up the next development in his ordeal.