Shloka 46
Sudeva Identifies Damayantī in Cedi (सुदेवेन दमयन्ती-परिचयः)
अथ बल्त्रार्थसंवीता प्रविवेश पुरोत्तमम् । त॑ विह्लां कृशां दीनां मुक्तकेशीममार्जिताम्,शरीरमें आधी साड़ीको लपेटे हुए ही उसने उस उत्तम नगरमें प्रवेश किया। वह विह्नल, दीन और दुर्बल हो रही थी। उसके सिरके बाल खुले हुए थे। उसने स्नान नहीं किया था
atha balārthasaṃvītā praviveśa purottamam | tāṃ vihvalāṃ kṛśāṃ dīnāṃ muktakeśīm amārjitām ||
Then, driven by the need for strength and support, she entered that excellent city. She appeared shaken and bewildered, emaciated and wretched; her hair hung loose, and she was unwashed—an outward sign of inner distress and the collapse of ordinary decorum under suffering.
बृहदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how intense suffering can strip away normal social markers of composure and cleanliness; ethical attention shifts from judging appearances to recognizing distress and the human need for protection and support (bala).
A woman, overwhelmed by hardship, enters an excellent city in a visibly disheveled state—bewildered, thin, miserable, with loose hair and unwashed—signaling grief and vulnerability as the story moves toward seeking aid or refuge.