Shloka 57
Sudeva Identifies Damayantī in Cedi (सुदेवेन दमयन्ती-परिचयः)
भक्ताहमपि तं॑ वीरं छायेवानुगता पथि । तस्य दैवात् प्रसज्रो5भूदतिमात्र सुदेवने,'जैसे छाया राह चलनेवाले पथिकके पीछे-पीछे चलती है, उसी प्रकार मैं भी अपने वीर पतिदेवमें भक्तिभाव रखकर सदा उन्हींका अनुसरण करती हूँ। दुर्भाग्यवश एक दिन मेरे पतिदेव जूआ खेलनेमें अत्यन्त आसक्त हो गये
bhaktāham api taṁ vīraṁ chāyevā́nugatā pathi | tasya daivāt prasajro 'bhūd atimātraṁ sudevane ||
Bṛhadaśvā said: “I too was devoted to that heroic man, following him always—just as a shadow follows a traveler along the road. But by the turn of fate, my husband became excessively addicted to gambling.”
बृहदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts steadfast personal devotion and loyalty with the destabilizing power of fate and vice: even a faithful companion who follows “like a shadow” can be drawn into suffering when a loved one falls into excessive gambling. It implicitly warns against addiction and highlights the ethical fragility created by dice-play.
Bṛhadaśvā narrates a situation in which the speaker (a devoted wife/companion) describes her constant following of her heroic husband, then notes a turning point: by destiny he becomes intensely absorbed in gambling, setting the stage for ensuing misfortune.