Mahabharata 3.52.46 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 52, Shloka 46

Nala’s Embassy to Damayantī and the Gods’ Proposal (नलस्य दूतत्वं देवप्रस्तावश्च)

Devanagari script

अहं वने दुर्वसतीर्वसन्‌ परमदु:खित: । अक्षद्यूताधिकारे च गिर: शृण्वन्‌ सुदारुणा:

Transliteration

ahaṃ vane durvasatīr vasan paramaduḥkhitaḥ | akṣadyūtādhikāre ca giraḥ śṛṇvan sudāruṇāḥ ||

Translation

Я живу в лесу в суровых условиях, подавленный глубочайшей скорбью. А в зале, где вершилась игра в кости, мне пришлось выслушать от людей противной стороны слова необычайно жестокие. Жало этих воспоминаний поныне сидит в моём сердце; вспоминая их, я провожу всю ночь, погружённый в тревожные раздумья.

Word by Word

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Nominative, Singular

• वने: in the forest
• वने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• दुर्वसतीः: hard dwellings / miserable abodes
• दुर्वसतीः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्वसति
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• वसन्: dwelling, living
• वसन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस्
• Form: Singular, शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative

• परमदुःखितः: extremely sorrowful
• परमदुःखितः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम-दुःखित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अक्षद्यूताधिकारे: in the dice-game assembly/occasion (where dice-play was authorized/arranged)
• अक्षद्यूताधिकारे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्ष-द्यूत-अधिकार
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• गिरः: words, speeches
• गिरः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिर्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• शृण्वन्: hearing
• शृण्वन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु
• Form: Singular, शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative

• सुदारुणाः: very harsh/cruel
• सुदारुणाः: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-दारुण
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vana (forest)
• Akṣa (dice)
• Dyūta (dice-game/gambling)
• Pratipakṣa (opposing party, implied)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical and psychological aftermath of adharma: reckless gambling and public insult do not end with the event itself; their consequences persist as inner torment. It underscores how dishonor and harsh speech can wound deeply, and how wrongful actions generate long-lasting suffering.

What is happening in the narrative?

A speaker recalls living in the forest under severe hardship after the dice-game episode, remembering the cruel words heard in the gambling hall from the opposing side. Those memories remain fixed in the heart, causing sleepless nights filled with worry and reflection.