Adhyāya 76: Kuṇḍina-praveśaḥ, Bhīmena satkāraḥ, Ṛtuparṇa-kṣamā, Aśvahṛdaya-pratyarpanam
Nala’s Reception and Reconciliation
ततस्तदू वस्त्रमजरं प्रावणोद् वसुधाधिप: । संस्मृत्य नागराजं तं ततो लेभे स्वकं वपु:,तदनन्तर उन भूपालने नागराज कर्कोटकका स्मरण करके उसके दिये हुए अजीर्ण वस्त्रको ओढ़ लिया। उससे उन्हें अपने पूर्वस्वरूपकी प्राप्ति हो गयी
tatas tad eva vastram ajaraṁ prāvṛṇod vasudhādhipaḥ | saṁsmṛtya nāgarājaṁ taṁ tato lebhe svakaṁ vapuḥ ||
于是,大地主那罗披上那件不朽的衣裳;一念忆及蛇王,顷刻之间便复得本来真身。
बृहदश्चव उवाच
The verse highlights gratitude and right remembrance: honoring a benefactor (here, the serpent-king) and properly using what is given can restore one’s rightful state. Ethically, it affirms that assistance received should be remembered and reciprocated through respect and faithful action.
The king wraps himself in the imperishable garment given earlier and, upon remembering the serpent-king, immediately regains his own original body/form—signaling the end of a period of altered appearance and the return to his true identity.