Shloka 20

Devanagari script

ततो निवृत्तहदय: पुनरागम्य तां सभाम्‌ | दमयन्तीं तदा दृष्टवा रुरोद निषधाधिप:,कुछ दूर जानेपर उनके हृदयका विचार पलट गया और वे पुनः उसी सभाभवनमें लौट आये। वहाँ उस समय दमयन्तीको देखकर निषधनरेश नल फूट-फूटकर रोने लगे

Transliteration

tato nivṛttahṛdayaḥ punar āgamya tāṃ sabhām | damayantīṃ tadā dṛṣṭvā ruroda niṣadhādhipaḥ ||

Translation

Then, his resolve turning back, he returned again to that assembly hall. There, on seeing Damayantī, the lord of Niṣadha (King Nala) broke down and wept—his grief and remorse overcoming him in the very place where duty and restraint were expected.

Word by Word

ततःthen/from there

निवृत्तहृदयःone whose heart turned back/changed

पुनःagain

आगम्यhaving come/returned

ताम्that (her/it)

सभाम्assembly hall

दमयन्तीम्Damayantī

तदाthen/at that time

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

रुरोदwept/cried

निषधाधिपःlord/king of Niṣadha (Nala)

Speaker

बृहदश्च उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bṛhadaśva

Damayantī

Nala

Niṣadha

sabhā (assembly hall)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral psychology of repentance: when the heart turns back from a mistaken course, true feeling surfaces. Even a king, expected to embody steadiness and restraint in the sabhā, is shown as human—grief and remorse arise when one confronts the person harmed or lost, urging a return toward dharma and responsibility.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bṛhadaśva narrates that Nala, after moving away, has a change of heart and returns to the assembly hall. There he sees Damayantī, and the sight overwhelms him; the king of Niṣadha begins to weep openly.