Shloka 8
दमयन्त्या वणिजां सार्थगमनम्, हस्तियूथविप्लवः, चेदिराजपुरप्रवेशश्च
Damayantī joins a caravan; elephant-herd catastrophe; entry into Cedi
सुप्तायां दमयन्त्यां तु नलो राजा विशाम्पते । शोकोन्मथितचित्तात्मा न सम शेते तथा पुरा,राजन्! राजा नलका चित्त शोकसे मथा जा रहा था। वे दमयन्तीके सो जानेपर भी स्वयं पहलेकी भाँति सो न सके
suptāyāṃ damayantyāṃ tu nalo rājā viśāṃpate | śokonmathitacittātmā na samaṃ śete tathā purā ||
Wika ni Bṛhadaśva: Nang makatulog na si Damayantī, si Haring Nala—o panginoon ng bayan—na ang isip at kalooban ay ginugulo ng dalamhati, ay hindi na makapagpahinga at makatulog nang payapa gaya ng dati.
बृहदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
Grief, if allowed to dominate the mind, destroys inner equilibrium (samatva) and disrupts even basic human functions like sleep; the ethical implication is the need for steadiness and self-governance, especially for one bearing responsibility such as a king.
After Damayantī falls asleep, Nala remains awake; his mind is unsettled by sorrow, and he cannot rest as he used to, signaling his deep inner crisis at this point in the Nala–Damayantī episode.