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 ||
Ó filho de Kuntī, quando o rei Ṛtupārṇa falou assim, o coração do rei Nala foi dilacerado pela tristeza. O magnânimo Nala então mergulhou por longo tempo em profunda reflexão—mostrando como o luto pode fraturar a mente e, ainda assim, impeli-la a um pensar sério e investigativo, em vez de ações precipitadas.
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.