Shloka 14
दमयन्ती–बाहुकसंवादः
Damayantī’s Dialogue with Bāhuka; Recognition and Disclosure
बाहक उवाच इहैव पुत्रौ निक्षिप्प नलस्य शुभकर्मण: । गतस्ततो यथाकामं नैष जानाति नैषधम्,बाहुक बोला--भद्रे! पुण्यकर्मा नलके दोनों बालकोंको यहीं रखकर वार्ष्णेय अपनी रुचिके अनुसार अयोध्या चला गया था। यह नलके विषयमें कुछ नहीं जानता है
bāhaka uvāca | ihaiva putrau nikṣipya nalasya śubhakarmaṇaḥ | gatastato yathākāmaṃ naiṣa jānāti naiṣadham ||
Bāhaka said: “Here itself, after leaving behind the two sons of the virtuous Nala, Vārṣṇeya went away thence to Ayodhyā according to his own wish. This man knows nothing about Nala of Niṣadha.”
बाहक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores ethical restraint in speech: one should not claim knowledge without certainty. It also highlights the vulnerability of family bonds during crisis—Nala’s children are left behind, and reliable knowledge about Nala’s fate becomes scarce.
Bāhaka reports that Vārṣṇeya left Nala’s two sons at this place and then went to Ayodhyā as he wished. Bāhaka further states that the person being referred to does not know anything about Nala (the Naiṣadha king), emphasizing the lack of direct information about Nala’s whereabouts.