Shloka 27
अक्षद्यूतप्रवेशः — Kali’s Entry and the Initiation of the Dice-Contest
सख्यश्चास्या मया दृष्टास्ताभिश्नाप्युपलक्षित: । विस्मिताश्चा भवन् सर्वा दृष्टवा मां विबुधेश्वरा:,दमयन्तीकी सखियोंको भी मैंने देखा और उन सखियोंने भी मुझे देखा। देवेश्वरो! वे सब मुझे देखकर आश्वर्यचकित हो गयीं
sakhyaś cāsyā mayā dṛṣṭās tābhiś cāpy upalakṣitaḥ | vismitāś cābhavan sarvā dṛṣṭvā māṃ vibudheśvara ||
Nala nói: “Ta cũng thấy các thị nữ thân cận của nàng, và họ cũng nhận ra ta. Hỡi chúa tể các thần, khi trông thấy ta, tất thảy đều sững sờ kinh ngạc.”
नल उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid disguise, exile, or misfortune, truth tends to surface through recognition and witness; the episode underscores endurance and the moral weight of fidelity and rightful identity in the Nala–Damayantī narrative.
Nala reports that he encountered Damayantī’s companions; they saw him and recognized him, and their reaction was collective astonishment, which he relates while addressing Indra as ‘vibudheśvara’.