Shloka 48

नलस्य बाहुकत्वेन ऋतुपर्णनगरप्रवेशः

Nala as Bāhuka enters Ṛtuparṇa’s city

Devanagari script

निषधेषु महाराज: श्वशुरो मे नरोत्तम: । गृहीतनामा विख्यातो वीरसेन इति सम ह,“निषधदेशके महाराज मेरे श्वशुर थे, वे प्रात:-स्मरणीय नरश्रेष्ठ वीरसेनके नामसे विख्यात थे

Transliteration

niṣadheṣu mahārājaḥ śvaśuro me narottamaḥ | gṛhītanāmā vikhyāto vīrasena iti saḥ ||

Translation

Bṛhadaśva disse: “Na terra de Niṣadha, meu sogro foi um grande rei — um homem excelente, digno de ser lembrado com reverência. Era célebre pelo nome de Vīrasena.”

Word by Word

निषधेषुin the Nishadhas (country/region)

महाराजःthe great king

श्वशुरःfather-in-law

मेmy

नरोत्तमःthe best of men

गृहीतनामाhaving the (given/assumed) name

विख्यातःrenowned, famous

वीरसेनःVīrasena (proper name)

इतिthus, by the name

समःequal, even (as written; sense unclear here)

Speaker

बृहृदश्च उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bṛhadaśva

Niṣadha

Vīrasena

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical ideal that true nobility is recognized through remembered virtue and good repute: a king’s greatness is not only power, but being ‘narottama’—worthy of respectful remembrance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bṛhadaśva introduces his connection to Niṣadha by identifying his father-in-law as the famed king Vīrasena, establishing lineage and context for the Niṣadha-related story that follows.