Shloka 21
दमयन्त्या वणिजां सार्थगमनम्, हस्तियूथविप्लवः, चेदिराजपुरप्रवेशश्च
Damayantī joins a caravan; elephant-herd catastrophe; entry into Cedi
यां न वायुर्न चादित्य: पुरा पश्यति मे प्रियाम् । सेयमद्य सभामध्ये शेते भूमावनाथवत्,(वे विलाप करते हुए कहने लगे--) “पहले जिस मेरी प्रियतमा दमयन्तीको वायु तथा सूर्य देवता भी नहीं देख पाते थे, वही आज इस धर्मशालामें भूमिपर अनाथकी भाँति सो रही है
yāṃ na vāyur na cādityaḥ purā paśyati me priyām | seyam adya sabhāmadhye śete bhūmāv anāthavat ||
Bṛhadaśva said: “She whom, in former days, not even the Wind nor the Sun could behold—my beloved—she is now lying on the ground in the midst of this hall, like one without protection.”
बृहदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the instability of worldly fortune and the ethical demand of compassion: one who was once guarded by honor and prosperity can fall into helplessness, calling others to recognize suffering and uphold dharma through protection and care.
Bṛhadaśva, narrating the Nala–Damayantī episode, laments Damayantī’s reversal of fortune: once so revered and protected that even Wind and Sun were said not to behold her, she is now found lying on the ground in a public hall, abandoned and vulnerable.