Shloka 23
नलस्य बाहुकत्वेन ऋतुपर्णनगरप्रवेशः
Nala as Bāhuka enters Ṛtuparṇa’s city
कृशां दीनां विवर्णा च मलिनां वसुधाधिप । वस्त्रार्थप्रावतामेकां विलपन्तीमनाथवत्,पृथ्वीनाथ! मैं दीन, दुर्बल, कान्तिहीन और मलिन होकर आधे वस्त्रसे अपने अंगोंको ढककर अकेली अनाथ-सी विलाप कर रही हूँ। विशाल नेत्रोंवाले शत्रुसूदन आर्य! मेरी दशा अपने झुंडसे बिछुड़ी हुई हरिणीकी-सी हो रही है। मैं यहाँ अकेली रो रही हूँ। परंतु आप मेरा मान नहीं रखते हैं
bṛhadaśva uvāca | kṛśāṃ dīnāṃ vivarṇāṃ ca malināṃ vasudhādhipa | vastrārdha-prāvṛtām ekāṃ vilapantīm anāthavat ||
Bṛhadaśva said: “O lord of the earth, she is emaciated, wretched, pale, and soiled—half-covered by her garment—alone, lamenting like one without protection. In such a state she weeps in solitude, like a doe separated from her herd, and reproaches the noble hero for not honoring her and not extending due regard.”
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical duty of a ruler (and, by extension, any powerful person) to recognize suffering and extend protection and respect to the vulnerable; neglect of such a person is presented as a moral failure.
Bṛhadaśva describes a woman in extreme distress—thin, dirty, and half-clothed—crying alone like one without support, and he frames her lament as a reproach that the noble hero has not shown her due regard or protection.