Shloka 98
नलस्य बाहुकत्वेन ऋतुपर्णनगरप्रवेशः
Nala as Bāhuka enters Ṛtuparṇa’s city
कि नु स्वप्नो मया दृष्ट: को5यं विधिरिहाभवत् | क्व नु ते तापसा: सर्वे क्व तदाश्रममण्डलम्,(उसने सोचा--) “क्या मैंने कोई स्वप्न देखा है? यहाँ यह कैसी अद्भुत घटना हो गयी? वे सब तपस्वी कहाँ चले गये और वह आश्रममण्डल कहाँ है?”
ki nu svapno mayā dṛṣṭaḥ? ko ’yaṃ vidhir ihābhavat? kva nu te tāpasāḥ sarve? kva tad āśramamaṇḍalam?
布里哈达湿婆说道：“我莫非是做了一场梦？此地怎会发生这般离奇的变故？那些苦行仙人都到哪里去了？那整片林居道场又在何处？”
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights human uncertainty when confronted with sudden change: one should pause, inquire, and discern reality rather than react blindly—an attitude aligned with careful judgment (viveka) amid bewildering events.
Bṛhadaśva, seeing the hermitage scene altered or emptied, expresses astonishment and questions whether he has dreamt; he asks where the ascetics and the hermitage precinct have gone, marking a moment of abrupt narrative shift and mystery.