Shloka 8

नलस्य दमयन्त्युत्सर्गः

Nala’s Abandonment of Damayantī in the Lodging Hall

Devanagari script

न चक्षमे ततो राजा समाह्वानं महामना: । वैदर्भ्या: प्रेक्षमाणाया: पणकालममन्यत,महामना राजा नल द्यूतके लिये पुष्करके आह्वानको न सह सके। विदर्भराजकुमारी दमयन्तीके देखते-देखते उसी क्षण जूआ खेलनेका उपयुक्त अवसर समझ लिया

Transliteration

na cakṣame tato rājā samāhvānaṃ mahāmanāḥ | vaidarbhayāḥ prekṣamāṇāyāḥ paṇakālam amanyata ||

Translation

Bấy giờ vị vua đại lượng không chịu nổi lời thách thức. Trước ánh mắt dõi theo của công chúa Vidarbha, Damayantī, ông coi chính khoảnh khắc ấy là thời điểm thích hợp để đặt cược—và nhận lời chơi xúc xắc, dù trong đó ẩn chứa hiểm họa về đạo lý.

Word by Word

नnot

चक्षमेcould endure / tolerated

ततःthen / thereafter

राजाthe king

समाह्वानम्the challenge / summons (to play)

महामनाःgreat-souled

वैदर्भ्याःof the Vidarbhī (Damayantī)

प्रेक्षमाणायाःwhile (she) was watching / of (her) watching

पणकालम्the time for gambling / the gambling-occasion

अमन्यतthought / considered

Speaker

ब॒हृदश्चव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nala

Damayantī

Puṣkara

Vidarbha

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even a noble person can be pulled into adharma by pride and provocation; accepting a harmful challenge at an inopportune moment—especially under social pressure—can trigger grave consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Puṣkara’s challenge to gamble is presented; Nala, unable to bear the summons, decides that very moment is the time to stake a wager, while Damayantī looks on.