Shloka 3
Rathaghoṣa–Saṃjñāna: Damayantī’s Inference and the Dispatch of the Envoy (Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 71)
एवमुक्तस्य कौन्तेय तेन राज्ञा नलस्य ह । व्यदीर्यत मनो दुःखात् प्रदध्यौ च महामना:,कुन्तीनन्दन! राजा ऋतुपर्णके ऐसा कहनेपर राजा नलका मन अत्यन्त दुःखसे विदीर्ण होने लगा। महामना नल बहुत देरतक किसी भारी चिन्तामें निमग्न हो गये
evam uktasya kaunteya tena rājñā nalasya ha | vyadīryata mano duḥkhāt pradadhyau ca mahāmanāḥ ||
Wahai putera Kuntī, apabila Raja Ṛtupārṇa berkata demikian, hati Raja Nala terkoyak oleh dukacita. Nala yang berhati besar itu pun tenggelam lama dalam renungan yang mendalam—menampakkan bahawa kesedihan mampu memecahkan jiwa, namun juga mendorong seseorang kepada pertimbangan yang serius, bukan tindakan terburu-buru.
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic response to suffering: intense grief may shatter the heart, yet the noble person turns inward to deliberate rather than acting impulsively. Reflection becomes a form of self-restraint and moral steadiness amid pain.
Bṛhadaśva tells Yudhiṣṭhira that after Ṛtupārṇa’s words, Nala is overwhelmed—his mind breaks with sorrow—and he remains absorbed in deep thought for a long time, indicating a critical emotional and decision-making moment in the Nala episode.