Shloka 25
दमयन्त्याः अरण्यविहारः — Damayantī’s Passage through the Wilderness
ततः सा बाष्पकलया वाचा दु:खेन कर्शिता । उवाच दमयन्ती तं नैषधं करुणं वच:,तब दमयन्ती अत्यन्त दुःखसे दुर्बल हो नेत्रोंसे आँसू बहाती हुई गद्गद वाणीमें राजा नलसे यह करुण वचन बोली--
tataḥ sā bāṣpakalayā vācā duḥkhena karśitā | uvāca damayantī taṃ naiṣadhaṃ karuṇaṃ vacaḥ ||
Then Damayantī—her voice choked with tears and her body worn down by grief—addressed the king of Niṣadha (Nala) with a compassionate, sorrow-laden appeal. The scene frames her speech as arising from suffering yet guided by tenderness and moral urgency.
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights compassionate speech arising from suffering: even in intense grief, Damayantī’s response is framed as a humane, ethically charged appeal rather than anger—suggesting that dharmic communication can persist amid personal distress.
Damayantī, overwhelmed and weakened by sorrow, begins to speak to Nala (the Naiṣadha king). The verse serves as a narrative transition introducing her forthcoming lament or plea, emphasizing her tearful, choked voice and the pathos of the moment.