Shloka 48
Adhyāya 76: Kuṇḍina-praveśaḥ, Bhīmena satkāraḥ, Ṛtuparṇa-kṣamā, Aśvahṛdaya-pratyarpanam
Nala’s Reception and Reconciliation
ततोड<ब्रवीन्महाराज: कृतशौचमहं नलम् | दमयन्त्या सहोपेतं कल्ये द्रष्टा सुखोषितम्,तब महाराज भीमने कहा--“आज नलको सुखपूर्वक यहीं रहने दो। कल सबेरे स्नान आदिसे शुद्ध हुए दमयन्तीसहित नलसे मैं मिलूँगा”
tato 'bravīn mahārājaḥ kṛtaśaucam ahaṃ nalam | damayantyā sahopetaṃ kalye draṣṭā sukhoṣitam ||
Then King Bhīma said: “Let Nala, who has completed his purificatory bath, stay here today in comfort. Tomorrow morning, after I too have bathed and become ritually pure, I shall meet Nala together with Damayantī.”
बृहदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic decorum: a king observes ritual propriety and respectful hospitality—allowing a guest to rest, and arranging a formal meeting after both parties are purified, reflecting self-restraint and honor in family matters.
Bhīma, Damayantī’s father, instructs that Nala should stay comfortably for the day; he will meet Nala the next morning, after bathing, and the meeting will be with Damayantī present—signaling an imminent, properly conducted reunion.