Shloka 23
दमयन्त्या वणिजां सार्थगमनम्, हस्तियूथविप्लवः, चेदिराजपुरप्रवेशश्च
Damayantī joins a caravan; elephant-herd catastrophe; entry into Cedi
कथमेका सती भैमी मया विरहिता शुभा । चरिष्यति वने घोरे मृगव्यालनिषेविते,“यह भयंकर वन हिंसक पशुओं और सर्पोंसे भरा है। मुझसे बिछुड़कर शुभलक्षणा सती दमयन्ती अकेली इस वनमें कैसे विचरण करेगी?
katham ekā satī bhaimī mayā virahitā śubhā | cariṣyati vane ghore mṛgavyālanisevite ||
Bṛhadaśva said: “How will the virtuous Bhīmī—auspicious and faithful—bereft of me, wander alone in this dreadful forest, a haunt of wild beasts and predators?”
बृहदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical impulse of responsibility and protective concern: separation from one’s dependent companion—especially in a perilous setting—naturally awakens anxiety and a sense of duty, underscoring the moral weight of safeguarding those entrusted to one’s care.
Bṛhadaśva, narrating the Nala–Damayantī episode to Yudhiṣṭhira, voices the fear that Damayantī (Bhīmī), now separated, must face a terrifying forest alone—one inhabited by wild and dangerous creatures.