Shloka 14
नलस्य बाहुकत्वेन ऋतुपर्णनगरप्रवेशः
Nala as Bāhuka enters Ṛtuparṇa’s city
अश्वमेधादिभिर्वीर क्रतुभिर्भूरिदक्षिणै: । कथमिष्ट्वा नरव्यात्र मयि मिथ्या प्रवर्तसे,दमयन्ती बोली--चौड़ी छातीवाले महाबाहु निषधनरेश महाराज! आज इस निर्जन वनमें (मुझ अकेलीको) छोड़कर आप कहाँ चले गये? नरश्रेष्ठ! वीरशिरोमणे! प्रचुर दक्षिणावाले अश्वमेध आदि यज्ञोंका अनुष्ठान करके भी आप मेरे साथ मिथ्या बर्ताव क्यों कर रहे हैं?
Bṛhadaśva uvāca: Aśvamedhādibhir vīra kratubhir bhūridakṣiṇaiḥ | katham iṣṭvā naravyāghra mayi mithyā pravartase ||
Bṛhadaśva said: “O hero, O tiger among men—after performing great sacrifices such as the Aśvamedha, rich in lavish gifts, how is it that you now deal falsely with me?” (In the narrative context, this line conveys Damayantī’s reproach to King Nala: despite his renowned royal virtue and merit earned through grand rites, he has abandoned her alone in the desolate forest, an act she frames as a moral contradiction.)
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual merit and public religious acts (like Aśvamedha with abundant gifts) do not excuse personal wrongdoing; true dharma requires truthful, responsible conduct—especially toward one’s spouse and dependents.
Within Bṛhadaśva’s telling of the Nala–Damayantī episode, Damayantī confronts Nala for leaving her alone in the wilderness, accusing him of acting ‘mithyā’—in a way that contradicts his famed royal virtue and sacrificial accomplishments.