Shloka 37
नलस्य बाहुकत्वेन ऋतुपर्णनगरप्रवेशः
Nala as Bāhuka enters Ṛtuparṇa’s city
अहो! इस घोर वनमें मेरा विलाप सुनकर भी यह सिंह मुझे सान्त्वना नहीं देता। यह तो स्वादिष्ट जलसे भरी हुई इस समुद्रगामिनी नदीकी ओर जा रहा है ।। इमं शिलोच्चयं पुण्यं शज्जैर्बहुभिरुच्छितै: । विराजद्धिरिवानेकै्नैंकवर्णर्मनोरमै:,अच्छा, इस पवित्र पर्वतसे ही पूछती हूँ। यह बहुत-से ऊँचे-ऊँचे शोभाशाली बहुरंगे एवं मनोरम शिखरोंद्वारा सुशोभित है
bṛhadaśva uvāca | aho! asmin ghore vane mama vilāpaṃ śrutvāpi eṣa siṃho māṃ sāntvayati na | eṣa tu svādu-jalena pūrṇāṃ samudragāminīṃ nadīm prati gacchati || imaṃ śiloccayaṃ puṇyaṃ śṛṅgair bahubhir ucchritaiḥ | virājaddhir iva anekair nānāvarṇair manoramaiḥ ||
Bṛhadaśva said: “Alas! Even after hearing my lament in this dreadful forest, this lion does not offer me any comfort. Instead, it is moving toward that river that runs to the sea, filled with sweet water. So then, I will question this holy mountain-peak itself—adorned with many lofty summits, shining as though with numerous, delightful, multi-colored crests.”
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in distress, one may seek reassurance from the world around oneself when living beings offer none; it underscores endurance in suffering and the human impulse to look for meaning and guidance even in nature.
The speaker laments in a frightening forest. A lion, indifferent to the lament, heads toward a sweet-water river flowing to the sea. The speaker then turns attention to a sacred mountain-peak, described as richly adorned with many colorful, lofty summits, intending to ‘ask’ it for insight or response.