Shloka 17
दमयन्त्या वणिजां सार्थगमनम्, हस्तियूथविप्लवः, चेदिराजपुरप्रवेशश्च
Damayantī joins a caravan; elephant-herd catastrophe; entry into Cedi
कथं वासो विकर्तेयं न च बुध्येत मे प्रिया । विचिन्त्यैवं नलो राजा सभां पर्यचरत्तदा,फिर यह सोचकर कि “मैं कैसे वस्त्रको काटूँ, जिससे मेरी प्रियाकी नींद न टूटे।” राजा नल धर्मशालामें (नंगे ही) इधर-उधर घूमने लगे
kathaṃ vāso vikarteyaṃ na ca budhyeta me priyā | vicintyāivaṃ nalo rājā sabhāṃ paryacarattadā ||
Bṛhadaśva said: “How can I cut the garment in such a way that my beloved does not awaken?” Thinking thus, King Nala then wandered about the hall (rest-house), moving to and fro—still intent on acting without disturbing her.
बृहदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in distress, one should preserve tenderness and restraint: Nala’s concern is not merely practical but ethical—he tries to act without causing harm or disturbance to his beloved, showing compassion and self-control amid hardship.
In the Nalopākhyāna, Nala is preparing to cut the garment while his wife sleeps; he anxiously considers how to do so without waking her, and then paces about the hall, absorbed in this troubled deliberation.