Shloka 30
नलस्य बाहुकत्वेन ऋतुपर्णनगरप्रवेशः
Nala as Bāhuka enters Ṛtuparṇa’s city
अभिरूपं महात्मानं परव्यूहविनाशनम् | यमन्वेषसि राजानं नल॑ पद्मनिभेक्षणम्
abhirūpaṁ mahātmānaṁ paravyūhavināśanam | yam anveṣasi rājānaṁ nalaṁ padmanibhekṣaṇam ||
Bṛhadaśva said: “The king you are seeking—Nala, lotus-eyed—is handsome and great-souled, and he is a destroyer of the enemy’s battle-formations.”
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ideal of a righteous king whose inner nobility (mahātman) is matched by outward excellence and the capacity to protect his people—symbolized by the ability to break hostile battle-formations. Ethical worth and public responsibility are presented together as marks of true kingship.
Bṛhadaśva identifies and praises Nala to the listener who is searching for him, describing Nala’s appearance and heroic capability. The line functions as an introduction that establishes Nala’s stature and reputation before the story proceeds.