Shloka 8
नलस्य पुष्करजयो द्यूते
Nala’s Victory over Puṣkara in the Dice-Game
अर्चितानि च सर्वाणि देवतायतनानि च । ऋतुपर्णोडपि शुभ्राव बाहुकच्छझिनं नलम्
arcitāni ca sarvāṇi devatāyatanāni ca | ṛtuparṇo 'pi śubhrāva bāhukacchāyinaṃ nalam ||
அனைத்து தேவாலயங்களும் முறையாகப் பூஜிக்கப்பட்டன. மேலும் வெண்மையான தேரில் ஏறிய ருதுபர்ண அரசனும், அருகில் பாஹுகன் என மறைந்திருந்த நலனுடன், ஒளிவீசித் தோன்றினான்.
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid concealment and hardship, dharmic conduct continues through reverence to the divine and proper observance of sacred places; outer disguise does not negate inner nobility and right action.
Bṛhadaśva describes Ṛtuparṇa’s journey in which the king appears splendid, with Nala—hidden under the name Bāhuka—close by; along the way, the party honours the gods by worshipping the temples they encounter.