Shloka 1
कर्कोटक-उपदेशः
Karkoṭaka’s Counsel and Nala’s Concealment
हि मय >> (0) हि २ 7 त्रेषष्टितमोड् ध्याय: दमयन्तीका विलाप तथा अजगर एवं व्याधसे उसके प्राण एवं सतीत्वकी रक्षा तथा दमयन्तीके पातितव्रत्य धर्मके प्रभावसे व्याधका विनाश ब॒हृदश्चव उवाच अपक्रान्ते नले राजन् दमयन्ती गतक्लमा । अबुध्यत वरारोहा संत्रस्ता विजने वने,बृहदश्वच मुनि कहते हैं--राजन्! नलके चले जानेपर जब दमयन्तीकी थकावट दूर हो गयी, तब उसकी आँख खुली। उस निर्जन वनमें अपने स्वामीको न देखकर सुन्दरी दमयन्ती भयातुर और दुःख-शोकसे व्याकुल हो गयी। उसने भयभीत होकर निषधनरेश नलको “महाराज! आप कहाँ हैं?' यह कहकर बड़े जोरसे पुकारा
bṛhadaśva uvāca | apakrānte nale rājan damayantī gataklamā | abudhyata varārohā saṁtrastā vijane vane ||
Bṛhadaśva said: “O king, when Nala had departed, Damayantī’s weariness passed away and she awoke. Seeing no sign of her husband in that lonely forest, the noble lady was seized by fear; overwhelmed by grief and anxiety, she cried out in terror, calling for the lord of Niṣadha: ‘O great king—where are you?’”
ब॒हृदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical weight of spousal bond and the vulnerability that follows abandonment: when protection and companionship vanish, fear and grief arise. It sets the stage for Damayantī’s steadfastness (dharma) under extreme distress.
After Nala leaves, Damayantī wakes once her exhaustion subsides. Realizing she is alone in a deserted forest and cannot see her husband, she becomes terrified and cries out loudly for Nala, the king of Niṣadha.