The Story of Nala and Damayantī From Charles Lanman’s A Sanskrit Reader Chapter I || atha nalopakhyānam || ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... brhadaśvạ uvāca | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... āsīd rājā nalo nāma vīrasenasuto balī | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... upapanno gunaiṛ isṭaị rūpavān aśvakovidah ̣||I-1|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... atisṭhaṇ manujendrānāṃ ̣ mūrdhni devapatir yathā | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... upary upari sarvesāṃ āditya iva tejasā ||I-2|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... 1 brahmanyọ vedavic chūro nisadheṣ ụ mahīpatih ̣| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... aksapriyaḥ ̣satyavādī mahān aksauhiṇ īpatiḥ ̣||I-3|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... īpsito varanārīnāṃ udārah ̣saṃyatendriyah ̣| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... raksitạ̄ dhanvināṃ śresṭhaḥ ̣sāksāḍ iva manuh ̣svayam ||I-4|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... tathaivāsīd vidarbhesụ bhīmo bhīmaparākramah ̣| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... śūrah ̣sarvagunaiṛ yuktah ̣prajākāmah ̣sa cāprajah ̣||I-5|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... sa prajārthe paraṃ yatnam akarot susamāhitah ̣| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... 2 tam abhyagacchad brahmarsiṛ damano nāma bhārata ||I-6|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... taṃ sa bhīmah ̣prajākāmas tosayāmāsạ dharmavit | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... mahisyạ̄ saha rājendra satkārenạ suvarcasam ||I-7|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... tasmai prasanno damanah ̣sabhāryāya varaṃ dadau | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... kanyāratnaṃ kumārāṃśca trīn udārān mahāyaśāh ̣||I-8|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... damayantīṃ damaṃ dāntaṃ damanaṃ ca suvarcasam | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... upapannān gunaiḥ ̣sarvair bhīmān bhīmaparākramān ||I-9|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... 3 damayantī tu rūpenạ tejasā yaśasā śriyā | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... saubhāgyena ca lokesụ yaśah ̣prāpa sumadhyamā ||I-10|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... atha tāṃ vayasi prāpte dāsīnāṃ samalaṃkrtaṃ | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... śataṃ śataṃ sakhīnāṃ ca paryupāsac chacīm iva ||I-11|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... tatra sma rājate bhaimī sarvābharanabhūṣ itạ̄ | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... sakhīmadhye ’navadyāṅ gī vidyut saudāminī yathā ||I-12|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... atīva rūpasaṃpannā śrīr ivāyatalocanā | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... 4 na devesụ na yakseṣ ụ tādrg̣ rūpavatī kva cit ||I-13|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... mānuseṣ ṿ api cānyesụ drṣ ṭapūrvāthạ vā śrutā | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... cittapramāthinī bālā devānām api sundarī ||I-14|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... nalaś ca naraśārdūlo lokesṿ āpratimo bhuvi | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... kandarpa iva rūpenạ mūrtimān abhavat svayam ||I-15|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... tasyāh ̣samīpe tu nalaṃ praśaśaṃsuh ̣kutūhalāt | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... naisadhasyạ samīpe tu damayantīṃ punah ̣punah ̣||I-16|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... 5 tayor adrṣ ṭakāmọ ’bhūc chrṇ vatoḥ ̣satataṃ gunāṇ | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... anyonyaṃ prati kaunteya sa vyavardhata hrcchayaḥ ̣||I-17|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... aśaknuvan nalah ̣kāmaṃ tadā dhārayituṃ hrdạ̄ | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... antahpurasamīpasthẹ vana āste raho gatah ̣||I-18|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... sa dadarśa tato haṃsāñ jātarūpapariskṛ tāṇ | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... vane vicaratāṃ tesāṃ ekaṃ jagrāha paksiṇ aṃ ||I-19|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... tato ’ntariksagọ vācaṃ vyājahāra nalam tadā | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... 6 hantavyo ’smi na te rājan karisyāmị tava priyam ||I-20|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... damayantīsakāśe tvāṃ kathayisyāmị naisadhạ | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... yathā tvad anyaṃ purusaṃ ̣ na sā maṃsyati karhi cit ||I-21|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... evam uktas tato haṃsam utsasarja mahīpatih ̣| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... te tu haṃsāh ̣samutpatya vidarbhān agamaṃs tatah ̣||I-22|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... vidarbhanagarīṃ gatvā damayantyās tadāntike | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... nipetus te garutmantah ̣sā dadarśa ca tān ganāṇ ||I-23|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... 7 sā tān adbhutarūpān vai drṣ ṭvạ̄ sakhiganāvṛ tạ̄ | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... hrṣ ṭạ̄ grahītuṃ khagamāṃs tvaramānopacakramẹ ||I-24|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... atha haṃsā visasrpuḥ ̣sarvatah ̣pramadāvane | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... ekaikaśas tadā kanyās tān haṃsān samupādravan ||I-25|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... damayantī tu yaṃ haṃsaṃ samupādhāvad antike | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... sa mānusīṃ ̣ giraṃ krtvạ̄ damayantīm athābravīt ||I-26|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... damayanti nalo nāma nisadheṣ ụ mahīpatih ̣| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... 8 aśvinoh ̣sadrśọ rūpe na samās tasya mānusāḥ ̣||I-27|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... tasya vai yadi bhāryā tvaṃ bhavethā varavarninị | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... saphalaṃ te bhavej janma rūpaṃ cedaṃ sumadhyame ||I-28|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... vayaṃ hi devagandharvamanusoragarākṣ asāṇ | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... drṣ ṭavantọ na cāsmābhir drṣ ṭapūrvaṣ tathāvidhah ̣||I-29|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... tvaṃ cāpi ratnaṃ nārīnāṃ ̣ naresụ ca nalo varah ̣| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... viśisṭāyạ̄ viśisṭenạ saṃgamo gunavāṇ bhavet ||I-30|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... 9 evam uktā tu haṃsena damayantī viśāṃ pate | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... abravīt tatra taṃ haṃsaṃ tvam apy evaṃ nale vada ||I-31|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... tathety uktvānḍ ajaḥ ̣kanyāṃ vaidarbhasya viśāṃ pate | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... punarāgamya nisadhāṇ nale sarvaṃ nyavedayat ||I-32|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... || iti nalopākhyāne prathamah ̣sargah ̣ ||1|| …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… 10 Chapter II brhadaśvạ uvāca | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... damayantī tu tacchrutvā vaco haṃsasya bhārata | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... tatah ̣prabhrtị na svasthā nalaṃ prati babhūva sā ||II-1|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... tataś cintāparā dīnā vivarnavadanạ̄ krśạ̄ | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... babhūva damayantī tu nihśvāsaparamạ̄ tadā ||II-2|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... ūrdhvadrṣ ṭiṛ dhyānaparā babhūvonmattadarśanā | ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... pānḍuvarṇ ạ̄ kṣanenāthạ hṛcchayāvisṭacetanạ̄ ||II-3|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... 11 na śayyāsanabhogesụ ratiṃ vindati karhi cit ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... na naktaṃ na divā śete hā heti rudatī punah ̣||II-4|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... tato vidarbhapataye damayantyāh ̣sakhījanah ̣| ………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………….... nyavedayat tām asvasthāṃ damayantīṃ nareśvare ||II-5|| ………………………………………………………………………………….... …………………………………………………………………………………...