Shloka 24
दमयन्त्या वणिजां सार्थगमनम्, हस्तियूथविप्लवः, चेदिराजपुरप्रवेशश्च
Damayantī joins a caravan; elephant-herd catastrophe; entry into Cedi
आदित्या वसवो रुद्रा अश्विनौ समरुद्गणौ । रक्षन्तु त्वां महाभागे धर्मेणासि समावृता,“महाभागे! तुम धर्मसे आवृत हो, आदित्य, वसु, रुद्र, अश्विनीकुमार और मरुठ्वण--ये सब देवता तुम्हारी रक्षा करें!
ādityā vasavo rudrā aśvinau samarudgaṇau | rakṣantu tvāṃ mahābhāge dharmeṇāsi samāvṛtā ||
Bṛhadaśva said: “O noble lady, may the Ādityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the two Aśvins, together with the hosts of Maruts, protect you. You are encompassed by dharma—guarded by righteousness itself.”
बृहदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse affirms that steadfastness in dharma is itself a protective covering: moral integrity aligns one with cosmic order, inviting divine guardianship and inner security amid danger.
Bṛhadaśva offers a benediction to a noble woman, invoking major classes of Vedic deities to protect her and emphasizing that her safety is grounded in her being ‘encompassed by dharma.’