Shloka 16

दमयन्ती–बाहुकसंवादः

Damayantī’s Dialogue with Bāhuka; Recognition and Disclosure

Devanagari script

आत्मैव तु नलं वेद या चास्य तदनन्तरा । न हि वै स्वानि लिड्रानि नल: शंसति कहिचित्‌,परमात्मा ही नलको जानते हैं तथा उसकी जो अन्तरात्मा है, वह उन्हें जानती है, दूसरा कोई नहीं; क्योंकि राजा नल अपने लक्षणों या चिह्लोंको कभी दूसरोंके सामने नहीं प्रकट करते हैं

Transliteration

ātmā eva tu nalaṃ veda yā cāsya tadanantarā | na hi vai svāni liṅgāni nalaḥ śaṃsati karhi cit |

Translation

Bāhuka said: “Only Nala himself truly knows Nala—and so does that inner awareness that follows closest upon him. For King Nala never discloses his own identifying marks to anyone at any time.”

Word by Word

आत्माthe self

एवindeed/only

तुbut/indeed

नलम्Nala

वेदknows

याwho/which

चand

अस्यof him

तत्that (she)

अनन्तराthe one immediately following/closest (i.e., inner self/next within)

नnot

हिindeed/for

वैindeed

स्वानिhis own

लिङ्गानिmarks/signs

नलःNala

शंसतिdeclares/reveals

कदाचित्ever/at any time

Speaker

बाहक उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nala

Bāhuka

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes