Shloka 26
नलस्य बाहुकत्वेन ऋतुपर्णनगरप्रवेशः
Nala as Bāhuka enters Ṛtuparṇa’s city
कुलशीलोपसम्पन्न चारुसर्वाड़्रशोभन । नाद्य त्वां प्रतिपश्यामि गिरावस्मिन् नरोत्तम,नरश्रेष्ठ आप उत्तम कुल और श्रेष्ठ शीलस्वभावसे सम्पन्न हैं। आप अपने सम्पूर्ण मनोहर अंगोंसे सुशोभित होते हैं। आज इस पर्वतशिखरपर मैं आपको नहीं देख पाती हूँ
kulaśīlopasampanna cārusarvāṅgaśobhana | nādya tvāṁ pratipaśyāmi girāvasmin narottama ||
O best of men, endowed with noble lineage and excellent conduct, adorned with all charming limbs—today I do not see you upon this mountain. (Bṛhadaśvā laments the sudden absence of the virtuous hero, underscoring how true nobility is measured by character as much as birth.)
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical ideal: true excellence (narottamatva) rests on both noble lineage (kula) and noble conduct (śīla). The praise implies that character is a defining mark of worth, not merely appearance or status.
Bṛhadaśvā addresses a revered man as ‘best of men’ and expresses distress that he is not visible on the mountain today, indicating a moment of sudden absence or separation that heightens concern and sets up the next narrative development.