Shloka 8
सुप्तायां दमयन्त्यां तु नलो राजा विशाम्पते । शोकोन्मथितचित्तात्मा न सम शेते तथा पुरा,राजन्! राजा नलका चित्त शोकसे मथा जा रहा था। वे दमयन्तीके सो जानेपर भी स्वयं पहलेकी भाँति सो न सके
suptāyāṃ damayantyāṃ tu nalo rājā viśāṃpate | śokonmathitacittātmā na samaṃ śete tathā purā ||
Bṛhadaśva said: When Damayantī had fallen asleep, King Nala—O lord of the people—his mind and inner self churned and agitated by grief, could not lie down in calm sleep as he had done before. The verse underscores how sorrow, when unchecked, disturbs inner balance and erodes the ordinary supports of life, even for a king.
बृहदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
Grief, if allowed to dominate the mind, destroys inner equilibrium (samatva) and disrupts even basic human functions like sleep; the ethical implication is the need for steadiness and self-governance, especially for one bearing responsibility such as a king.
After Damayantī falls asleep, Nala remains awake; his mind is unsettled by sorrow, and he cannot rest as he used to, signaling his deep inner crisis at this point in the Nala–Damayantī episode.