Shloka 30
नल उवाच एवमेतद् यथा55त्थ त्वं दमयन्ति सुमध्यमे । नास्ति भार्यासमं मित्र नरस्यार्तस्य भेषजम्,नलने कहा--सुमध्यमा दमयन्ती! तुम जैसा कहती हो वह ठीक है। दुःखी मनुष्यके लिये पत्नीके समान दूसरा कोई मित्र या औषध नहीं है
nala uvāca evam etad yathāttha tvaṃ damayanti sumadhyame | nāsti bhāryāsamaṃ mitraṃ narasyārtasya bheṣajam ||
Nala said: “Yes—what you say is true, O Damayantī of slender waist. For a man in distress, there is no friend and no remedy equal to a wife.”
नल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse affirms the ethical and emotional ideal of marriage: in times of suffering, a devoted spouse is portrayed as the closest friend and the most effective ‘remedy’—a source of counsel, steadiness, and healing companionship.
In the Nala–Damayantī episode within the Vana Parva, Nala responds to Damayantī’s words by agreeing with her and acknowledging her role as his greatest support in adversity, emphasizing her companionship as both friendship and medicine.