Shloka 6
दमयन्त्या वणिजां सार्थगमनम्, हस्तियूथविप्लवः, चेदिराजपुरप्रवेशश्च
Damayantī joins a caravan; elephant-herd catastrophe; entry into Cedi
स वै विवस्त्रो विकटो मलिन: पांसुगुण्ठित: । दमयन्त्या सह श्रान्तः सुष्वाप धरणीतले,वे वस्त्रहीन, चटाई आदिसे रहित, मलिन एवं धूलि-धूसरित हो रहे थे। दमयन्तीके साथ थककर भूमिपर ही सो गये
sa vai vivastro vikaṭo malinaḥ pāṃsuguṇṭhitaḥ | damayantyā saha śrāntaḥ suṣvāpa dharaṇītale ||
Bṛhadaśva said: He, indeed, was without clothing—disfigured, unclean, and covered with dust. Exhausted together with Damayantī, he lay down and slept upon the bare ground. The scene underscores the ethical weight of suffering brought by error and fate, and the steadfast endurance of Damayantī in adversity.
बृहदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how loss and misfortune can reduce a person to extreme hardship, yet dharma is upheld through endurance and fidelity—especially seen in Damayantī’s steadfast companionship amid deprivation.
Nala, reduced to a wretched state—naked, dirty, and dust-covered—becomes exhausted while traveling with Damayantī, and the two rest by sleeping directly on the ground.