Shloka 45
Adhyāya 76: Kuṇḍina-praveśaḥ, Bhīmena satkāraḥ, Ṛtuparṇa-kṣamā, Aśvahṛdaya-pratyarpanam
Nala’s Reception and Reconciliation
ततः स्वोरसि विन्यस्य वक्त्रं तस्य शुभानना | परीता तेन दुःखेन नि:शश्वासायतेक्षणा,तत्पश्चात् सुन्दर मुख और विशाल नेत्रोंवाली दमयन्ती नलके मुखको अपने वक्ष:स्थलपर रखकर दु:खसे व्याकुल हो लंबी साँसे खींचने लगी
tataḥ svorasi vinyasya vaktraṃ tasya śubhānanā | parītā tena duḥkhena niḥśaśvāsāyatākṣaṇā ||
Then the fair-faced Damayantī drew his face to her own breast. Overwhelmed by that sorrow, the wide-eyed lady began to heave long, deep sighs—her grief breaking forth in breath when words could not.
बृहदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical depth of compassion and steadfast marital devotion: in the face of suffering, Damayantī responds not with anger or calculation but with intimate care and shared grief, embodying fidelity and humane tenderness (dayā) amid adversity.
In Bṛhadaśva’s narration of the Nala–Damayantī episode, Damayantī, beautiful-faced and large-eyed, draws Nala’s face to her breast and, overwhelmed by sorrow, begins to breathe long, heavy sighs—an outward sign of intense emotional pain and attachment.