Shloka 88
यत्कृते5हमिदं ब्रह्मन् प्रपन्ना भूशदारुणम् । वन॑ प्रतिभयं घोरं शार्टूलमृूगसेवितम्,“भगवन्! क्या आपके इस रमणीय तपोवनमें निषधनरेश नल आये थे? ब्रह्मन! जिनके लिये मैं व्याप्र, सिंह आदि पशुओंसे सेवित अत्यन्त दारुण, भयंकर, घोर वनमें आयी हूँ
Bṛhadaśva uvāca: yatkṛte ’ham idaṃ brahman prapannā bhūśa-dāruṇam | vanaṃ pratibhayaṃ ghoraṃ śārdūla-mṛga-sevitam ||
Bṛhadaśva said: “O Brahmin, for whose sake have I come to this exceedingly harsh and dreadful wilderness—terrifying, grim, and frequented by tigers and wild beasts?”
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfastness under hardship: love, duty, or a chosen commitment can drive one to endure fearful conditions. Ethically, it underscores resolve and the willingness to bear suffering for a higher personal obligation.
In the Nala–Damayantī episode, the speaker evokes the terror of the wilderness—haunted by wild beasts—to emphasize how far one has gone, and how much one has suffered, for the sake of the person sought (contextually, Nala).