Shloka 35
Sudeva Identifies Damayantī in Cedi (सुदेवेन दमयन्ती-परिचयः)
निर्नाथता वने वासो बहुव्यालनिषेविते । “इतना ही नहीं, असंख्य सर्प आदि जन्तुओंसे भरे हुए इस वनमें मुझे अनाथकी-सी दशामें रहना पड़ता है” ।। अथापरेद्यु: सम्प्राप्ते हतशिष्टा जनास्तदा,तदनन्तर दूसरा दिन प्रारम्भ होनेपर मरनेसे बचे हुए लोग उस स्थानसे निकलकर उस विकट संहारके लिये शोक करने लगे। राजन्! कोई भाईके लिये दुःखी था, कोई पिताके लिये; किसीको पुत्रका शोक था और किसीको मित्रका
Bṛhadaśva uvāca: nirnāthatā vane vāso bahu-vyāla-niṣevite.
Bṛhadaśva said: 'Bereft of any protector, I must dwell in the forest—haunted and frequented by many fierce creatures.' The line underscores the ethical pathos of abandonment: exile is not merely a change of place but a stripping away of social shelter, leaving one exposed to fear, hardship, and the consequences of fate.
बृहदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and social significance of protection (nātha): when one loses rightful shelter—family, king, community—life becomes precarious. It evokes compassion and reminds rulers and kin of their dharmic duty to protect the vulnerable.
Bṛhadaśva voices the misery of living in the forest without support, emphasizing the danger of a wilderness filled with threatening creatures. It functions as a lament that intensifies the sense of hardship surrounding exile and loss.