Character

Nala

नल

king of Nishadha

verses
658
books
8
chapters
61
Consort of
Damayanti

What the texts say

In the Mahabharata, Nala, king of Nishadha and Virasena's son, discerned dharma and artha and was handsome and skilled with horses. Mahabharata 3.49.39, 3.50.1 Damayanti, daughter of the king of Vidarbha, grew unsettled in mind for Nala after a swan's words, and chose him. Mahabharata 3.51.1, 3.54.25Mahabharata (Gita Press) 3.64.33 Kali, angry, entered Nala and urged Pushkara to play dice with him, and Pushkara won his kingdom. Mahabharata 3.55.12, 3.56.4Mahabharata (Gita Press) 3.61.1 Nala left Damayanti asleep in the forest, and the serpent Karkotaka's bite made his form vanish. Mahabharata 3.74.9, 3.63.11 Nala, told to go to Ayodhya as the charioteer Bahuka, was later recognised by Damayanti as the king. Mahabharata 3.63.19Mahabharata (Gita Press) 3.75.23

Where to read

Every verse that names Nala, book by book.

    • 3.70.3

      Nang mahulog na ang tela, ang hari—nagmadali—ay nagsalita kay Nala, ang dakilang may isip: “Akin itong babawiin.”

    • 3.69.2

      Nais kong magtungo sa Vidarbha para sa svayaṃvara ni Damadantī. Kung sa loob ng iisang araw ay maaari, O Bāhuka—dalubhasa sa mga kabayo—ipahayag mo.

    • 3.58.1

      Sinabi ni Bṛhadaśva: Nang magkagayon, nang ang Vārṣṇeya (si Nala), yaong bantog sa kabanalan, ay nagpatuloy sa pagsusugal, si Puṣkara ang nagwagi sa kanyang kaharian at sa iba pang anumang yaman na naroon.

  1. Bhagavatam

    5 verses · 1 chapter

    • 12.3.9-11

      Sinabi ni Śrī Śuka—ang mga haring gaya nina Pṛthu, Purūravā, Gādhi, Nahuṣa, Bharata, Kārtavīrya Arjuna, Māndhātā, Sagara, Rāma, Khaṭvāṅga, Dhundhuhā, Raghu; Tṛṇabindu, Yayāti, Śaryāti, Śantanu, Gaya; Bhagīratha, Kuvalayāśva, Kakutstha…

    • 12.3.12-13

      Sinabi ni Śrī Śukadeva: Ang mga haring gaya nina Pṛthu, Purūravā, Gādhi, Nahuṣa, Bharata, Kārtavīrya Arjuna, Māndhātā, Sagara, Rāma, Khaṭvāṅga, Dhundhuhā, Raghu, Tṛṇabindu, Yayāti, Śaryāti, Śantanu, Gaya, Bhagīratha, Kuvalayāśva…

  2. Skanda Purana

    4 verses · 3 chapters

    • 3.3.4.43

      Ako mismo ang pipiliin mong asawa, gaya ni Damayantī na pumili sa haring Naiṣadha. At ako, pagdaig sa lahat ng mga hari, ay makakamtan ka, O marikit ang kutis, at aangkinin ka bilang akin.

    • 3.3.9.30

      Sa gayon, ang dalawang anak ng brāhmaṇa, na naging “mag-asawa” ayon sa utos ng hari, ay nagtungo sa lupain ng Naiṣadha, na nagsasabi, “Mangyari na ang dapat mangyari.”

    • 3.3.13.63

      Matapos turuan ang haring Naiṣadha, “Ibigay mo siya kay Bhadrāyuṣa,” umalis si Ṛṣabha—yaong nakaaalam ng tunay na diwa ng lugar, panahon, at layon.

  3. Brahmanda Purana

    4 verses · 4 chapters

    • 1.14.49

      Ang lupain na tinatawag na ‘Naishadha’ ay ibinigay sa Harivarsha. At ang gitnang lupain sa Sumeru ay ipinagkaloob sa Ilavrita.

    • 1.15.32

      Sa kabila nito ay ang ‘Hemakuta’, na inaalala rin bilang ‘Kimshurupa’. Paglampas ng Hemakuta ay ang ‘Naishadha’; iyon ang tinatawag na ‘Harivarsha’.

    • 1.18.53

      Pagkaraan, ang banal na Hlādinī ay tumungo sa silangan, at dumaloy na pinapabanal ang Upabhāga, Naiṣadha, at Trigarta.

Key chapters

The chapters where Nala matters most.

  1. Transmission of Akṣa-hṛdaya; Kali’s Exit and the Bibhītaka Refuge

    Mahabharata 3.70 · 38 verses

    Disguised hero whose practical mastery meets and then absorbs…

  2. Ṛtuparṇa’s resolve to go to Vidarbha and Bāhuka’s examination of horses

    Mahabharata 3.69 · 32 verses

    छद्मवेशी नायक

  3. Nala’s Disrobing and Damayantī’s Companionship

    Mahabharata 3.58 · 31 verses

    Fallen king confronting disgrace, hunger, and predatory fate

  4. Keśinī’s Inquiry to Bāhuka and the Emotional Signs of Concealed Identity (केशिन्याः बाहुकपरीक्षा)

    Mahabharata 3.72 · 29 verses

    Concealed protagonist

  5. Nala’s Victory over Puṣkara in the Dice-Game

    Mahabharata 3.77 · 27 verses

    Protagonist reclaiming sovereignty through disciplined…

  6. Adhyāya 73: Damayantī’s Investigation of Bāhuka (Keśinī’s Observations)

    Mahabharata 3.73 · 25 verses

    Hidden protagonist whose embodied skills and involuntary…

  7. Nala’s Abandonment of Damayantī in the Lodging Hall

    Mahabharata 3.59 · 24 verses

    Tragic agent under inner coercion, rationalizing abandonment as…

  8. Karkoṭaka’s Counsel and Nala’s Concealment

    Mahabharata 3.63 · 24 verses

    Fallen king at the nadir of fortune who becomes a deliberate…

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

    Mahabharata 3.52 · 22 verses

    Reluctant divine envoy and conflicted lover

  10. Damayantī’s Dialogue with Bāhuka; Recognition and Disclosure

    Mahabharata 3.74 · 22 verses

    Disguised king who receives indictment, explains the…

Key episodes

  1. Nala and Damayanti

    Mahabharata 3.50-3.78

Also known to Wikipedia · Wikidata Q2588460