Shloka 20
Nala’s Embassy to Damayantī and the Gods’ Proposal (नलस्य दूतत्वं देवप्रस्तावश्च)
यज्ैश्न विविधैस्तात कृतं पापमरिंदम | अवधूय महाराज गच्छेम स्वर्गमुत्तमम्,“तात! शत्रुदमन! महाराज! हम नाना प्रकारके यज्ञोंका अनुष्ठान करके अपने किये हुए पापको धो-बहाकर उत्तम स्वर्गलोकमें चलेंगे
yajñaiś ca vividhaiḥ tāta kṛtaṃ pāpam ariṃdama | avadhūya mahārāja gacchema svargam uttamam ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。「愛しき子よ――敵を屈する者よ、偉大なる王よ――さまざまな供犠を成し遂げたのち、われらが犯した罪を洗い清め、そして至高の天へと旅立とう。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a classical epic idea: wrongdoing (pāpa) can be addressed through prescribed acts of expiation—here, diverse yajñas—so that one may become purified and attain a higher posthumous state (svarga). It highlights the ethical impulse toward accountability and restoration, even when expressed through ritual means.
The narrator Vaiśampāyana reports a resolve expressed to a king addressed affectionately as “tāta” and honorifically as “ariṃdama/mahārāja”: after undertaking various sacrifices, they will remove the sin incurred and proceed to the highest heaven.