Shloka 12
नलस्य बाहुकत्वेन ऋतुपर्णनगरप्रवेशः
Nala as Bāhuka enters Ṛtuparṇa’s city
विदर्भतनया राजन विललाप सुदुः:खिता । भर्तुशोकपरीताज़ी शिलातलमथाश्रिता,राजन! विदर्भकुमारी दमयन्तीके अंग-अंगमें पतिके वियोगका शोक व्याप्त हो गया था, इसलिये वह अत्यन्त दु:खित हो एक शिलाके नीचे भागमें बैठकर बहुत विलाप करने लगी--
bṛhadaśva uvāca | vidarbha-tanayā rājan vilalāpa suduḥkhitā | bhartuḥ-śoka-parītāṅgī śilā-talam athāśritā ||
Wika ni Bṛhadaśva: “O Hari, ang prinsesa ng Vidarbha, nilamon ng matinding dalamhati, ay nagsimulang managhoy. Nang ang pagdadalamhati para sa kanyang asawa’y sumaklaw sa bawat bahagi ng kanyang katawan, sumandig siya sa ibabaw ng bato at humagulgol nang malakas.”
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the human reality of grief in separation and implicitly underscores steadfast marital devotion: Damayantī’s sorrow is not mere weakness but a sign of deep fidelity and the moral weight of conjugal bonds, inviting compassion rather than judgment.
In Bṛhadaśva’s narration of the Nala–Damayantī episode, Damayantī—separated from her husband Nala—sits upon a rock and cries out in anguish, her whole being overwhelmed by grief.