Shloka 41

दमयन्त्याः कार्यनिश्चयः — Damayantī’s Crisis Plan and Vārṣṇeya’s Departure

Devanagari script

उष्य तत्र यथाकामं नैषधो द्विपदां वर:

Transliteration

uṣya tatra yathākāmaṃ naiṣadho dvipadāṃ varaḥ

Translation

ബൃഹദശ്വൻ പറഞ്ഞു— “നീ അവിടെ നിന്റെ ഇഷ്ടപ്രകാരം താമസിക്ക; മനുഷ്യരിൽ ശ്രേഷ്ഠനായ നൈഷധരാജൻ അതനുസരിച്ച് പ്രവർത്തിക്കും.”

Word by Word

• उष्य: having stayed / after staying
• उष्य: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु) → उष्य (ल्यप्/तुमुन्-सम्भवः अव्ययकृदन्तः; here: absolutive)
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), कर्तरि, non-finite

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)

• यथाकामम्: as you wish / at will
• यथाकामम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा + काम (प्रातिपदिक)

• नैषधः: Naiṣadha (Nala, king of Niṣadha)
• नैषधः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैषध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• द्विपदाम्: of bipeds / of humans
• द्विपदाम्: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विपद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Plural

• वरः: the best / excellent one
• वरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

बृहदश्व उवाच

Characters & Entities

• बृहदश्व (Bṛhadaśva)
• नैषध (Naiṣadha—Nala)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line underscores respectful allowance and restraint: one should let another act ‘as they wish’ (yathākāmam) while recognizing the responsibility and excellence expected of a righteous king (dvipadāṃ varaḥ).

What is happening in the narrative?

Bṛhadaśva, narrating the Nala episode, addresses the listener and indicates that they may remain there at their pleasure, while referring to Nala (the Naiṣadha king) as the foremost among men, implying he will respond appropriately in the unfolding situation.