Shloka 119
नलस्य बाहुकत्वेन ऋतुपर्णनगरप्रवेशः
Nala as Bāhuka enters Ṛtuparṇa’s city
वद सत्यं वनस्यास्य पर्वतस्याथवा दिश: । देवता त्वं हि कल्याणि त्वां वयं शरणं गता:,“कल्याणि! सच बताओ, तुम इस वन, पर्वत अथवा दिशाकी अधिष्ठात्री देवी तो नहीं हो? हम सब लोग तुम्हारी शरणमें आये हैं
vada satyaṃ vanasyāsya parvatasyāthavā diśaḥ | devatā tvaṃ hi kalyāṇi tvāṃ vayaṃ śaraṇaṃ gatāḥ ||
Bṛhadaśva nói: “Xin hãy nói thật, thưa phu nhân cát tường—nàng có phải là vị thần hộ trì của khu rừng này, hay của ngọn núi này, hay của các phương trời chăng? Bởi nàng quả như bậc thần linh. Chúng ta đến nương tựa nơi nàng.”
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds satya (truthfulness) and śaraṇāgati (seeking refuge): one should ask plainly for the truth and, when confronted with a power beyond one’s understanding, approach it with humility and a request for protection rather than arrogance.
Bṛhadaśva addresses an auspicious woman whose presence seems supernatural. He asks her to state the truth about her identity—whether she is the presiding deity of the forest, the mountain, or the directions—and declares that they have come to her seeking refuge.