Shloka 8

दमयन्ती–बाहुकसंवादः

Damayantī’s Dialogue with Bāhuka; Recognition and Disclosure

Devanagari script

बाहुक उवाच श्रुत: स्वयंवसे राज्ञा कोसलेन महात्मना । द्वितीयो दमयन्त्या वै भविता श्व इति द्विजात्‌,बाहुक बोला--महात्मा कोसलराजने एक ब्राह्मणके मुखसे सुना था कि कल दमयन्तीका द्वितीय स्वयंवर होनेवाला है

Transliteration

bāhuka uvāca | śrutaḥ svayaṃvare rājñā kosalena mahātmanā | dvitīyo damayantyā vai bhavitā śva iti dvijāt ||

Translation

பாஹுகன் கூறினான்—மகாத்மையான கோசல அரசன், ஒரு த்விஜ பிராமணன் வாயிலாக ‘நாளை தமயந்தியின் இரண்டாம் சுயம்வரம் நடைபெறும்’ என்று கேட்டிருந்தான்.

Word by Word

बाहुकःBāhuka (Nala in disguise)

उवाचsaid

श्रुतःheard

स्वयंवरेin the svayaṃvara (self-choice ceremony)

राज्ञाby the king

कोसलेनby the king of Kosala

महात्मनाby the great-souled (king)

द्वितीयःsecond

दमयन्त्याःof Damayantī

वैindeed

भविताwill be / is going to be

श्वःtomorrow

इतिthus

द्विजात्from a brāhmaṇa (twice-born)

Speaker

बाहुक उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bāhuka

Damayantī

King of Kosala

a Brahmin (dvija)

svayaṃvara

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

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 reliance on credible testimony (śruti/āgama as report) and the ethical weight of public announcements in matters like marriage; decisions and actions are framed as grounded in trustworthy sources rather than rumor.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bāhuka reports that he has learned—via a Brahmin and the king of Kosala—that Damayantī is to hold a second svayaṃvara the next day, signaling an imminent event that will drive the next actions in the Nala–Damayantī episode.