Shloka 36
नलस्य बाहुकत्वेन ऋतुपर्णनगरप्रवेशः
Nala as Bāhuka enters Ṛtuparṇa’s city
श्रुत्वारण्ये विलपितं न मामाश्वासयत्ययम् । यात्येतां स्वादुसलिलामापगां सागरंगमाम्
śrutvāraṇye vilapitaṃ na mām āśvāsayaty ayam | yāty etāṃ svādusalilām āpagāṃ sāgaraṅgamām ||
Bṛhadaśva nói: “Nghe tiếng than khóc giữa rừng sâu này, lòng ta chẳng được an ủi chút nào. Dòng sông nước ngọt ấy vẫn cứ chảy mãi, xuôi về biển cả.”
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how raw grief can resist consolation: even after hearing lamentation, the speaker finds no inner relief. The river flowing inevitably to the ocean serves as an image of unstoppable movement—suggesting that sorrow, time, and events may continue onward despite one’s wish to halt them.
Bṛhadaśva responds to lamentation heard in the forest. He remarks that it does not console him, and he points to (or evokes) a sweet-watered river that continues its course toward the sea, using the natural scene to frame the emotional moment.