Shloka 38
Sudeva Identifies Damayantī in Cedi (सुदेवेन दमयन्ती-परिचयः)
स हतो हस्तियूथेन मन्दभाग्यान्ममैव तत् | प्राप्तव्यं सुचिरं दु:खं नूनमद्यापि वै मया,विदर्भराजकुमारी दमयन्ती भी इसके लिये शोक करने लगी कि “मैंने कौन-सा पाप किया है, जिससे इस निर्जन वनमें मुझे जो यह समुद्रके समान जनसमुदाय प्राप्त हो गया था, वह भी मेरे ही दुर्भाग्यसे हाथियोंके झुंडद्वारा मारा गया। निश्चय ही मुझे अभी दीर्घकालतक दुःख-ही-दुःख भोगना है
sa hato hastiyūthena mandabhāgyān mamaiva tat | prāptavyaṃ suciraṃ duḥkhaṃ nūnam adyāpi vai mayā ||
“…అది కూడా నా దురదృష్టం వల్ల ఏనుగుల గుంపు చేత నశించిపోయింది. నిశ్చయంగా నాకు ఇంకా దీర్ఘకాలం దుఃఖం అనుభవించాల్సిందే.”
बृहदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights endurance under adversity: when support collapses and misfortune strikes, one must recognize suffering as a reality to be borne with steadiness, rather than surrendering to despair.
In Bṛhadaśva’s telling of the Nala–Damayantī story, Damayantī grieves that the people or protection she had found in the wilderness has been destroyed by a herd of elephants, and she concludes that prolonged suffering still awaits her.