Shloka 21
नलस्य बाहुकत्वेन ऋतुपर्णनगरप्रवेशः
Nala as Bāhuka enters Ṛtuparṇa’s city
न मे त्वदन्या काचिद्ि प्रियास्तीत्यब्रवी: सदा । तामृतां कुरु कल्याण पुरोक्तां भारतीं नूप,कल्याणमय नरेश! आप पहले जो सदा यह कहते थे कि तुम्हारे सिवा दूसरी कोई भी स्त्री मुझे प्रिय नहीं है, अपनी उस बातको सत्य कीजिये
bṛhadaśva uvāca | na me tvadanyā kācid api priyāstīty abravīḥ sadā | tām ṛtāṁ kuru kalyāṇa puroktāṁ bhāratīṁ nṛpa |
Bṛhadaśva said: “You used always to declare, ‘No woman other than you is dear to me.’ O noble one, O king—make that earlier spoken word of yours true; let your promise stand as truth.”
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
Speech creates moral obligation: a promise—especially about loyalty and affection—should be made true through action. The verse emphasizes satya/ṛta (truth) and accountability for one’s words.
Bṛhadaśva addresses a king, reminding him of his repeated claim that no other woman is dear to him besides the one addressed, and urges him to fulfill that earlier declaration by making it true in conduct.