Chapter 53

Vrihadaswa said, “There was a king named Nala, the son of Virasena. Andhe was strong, and handsome, and well-versed in (the knowledge of)horses, and possessed of every desirable accomplishment. And he was atthe head of all the kings, even like the lord of the celestials. Andexalted over all, he resembled the sun in glory. And he was the king ofthe Nishadhas, intent on the welfare of the Brahmanas, versed in theVedas, and possessed of heroism. And he was truth-telling, fond of dice,and the master of a mighty army. And he was the beloved of men and women,and of great soul and subdued passions. And he was the protector (ofall), and the foremost of bowmen, and like unto Manu himself. And likehim, there was among the Vidarbhas (a king named) Bhima, of terribleprowess, heroic and well-disposed towards his subjects and possessed ofevery virtue. (But withal) he was childless. And with a fixed mind, hetried his utmost for obtaining issue. And. O Bharata there came unto him(once) a Brahmarshi named Damana. And, O king of kings, desirous ofhaving offspring, Bhima, versed in morality, with his queen gratifiedthat illustrious Rishi by a respectful reception. And Damana,well-pleased, granted unto the king and his consort a boon in the form ofa jewel of a daughter, and three sons possessed of lofty souls and greatfame. (And they were called respectively) Damayanti, and Dama and Danta,and illustrious Damana. And the three sons were possessed of everyaccomplishment and terrible mien and fierce prowess. And theslender-waisted Damayanti, in beauty and brightness, in good name andgrace and luck, became celebrated all over the world. And on herattaining to age, hundreds of hand-maids, and female slaves, decked inornaments, waited upon her like Sachi herself. And Bhima’s daughter offaultless features, decked in every ornament, shone in the midst of herhand-maids, like the luminous lightning of the clouds. And the large-eyeddamsel was possessed of great beauty like that of Sree herself. Andneither among celestials, nor among Yakshas, nor among men was anybodypossessed of such beauty, seen or heard of before. And the beautifulmaiden filled with gladness the hearts of even the gods. And that tigeramong men, Nala also had not his peer in the (three) worlds: for inbeauty he was like Kandarpa himself in his embodied form. And moved byadmiration, the heralds again and again celebrated the praises of Nalabefore Damayanti and those of Damayanti before the ruler of theNishadhas. And repeatedly hearing of each other’s virtues they conceivedan attachment towards each other not begot of sight, and that attachment,O son of Kunti began to grow in strength. And then Nala was unable tocontrol the love that was in his bosom. And he began to pass much of histime in solitude in the gardens adjoining the inner apartment (of hispalace). And there he saw a number of swans furnished with golden wings,wandering in those woods. And from among them he caught one with hishands. And thereupon the sky-ranging one said unto Nala. ‘Deserve I notto be slain by thee. O king. I will do something that is agreeable tothee. O king of the Nishadhas. I will speak of thee before Damayanti insuch a way that she will not ever desire to have any other person (forher lord).’ Thus addressed, the king liberated that swan. And those swansthen rose on their wings and went to the country of the Vidarbhas. And onarriving at the city of the Vidarbhas the birds alighted beforeDamayanti, who beheld them all. And Damayanti in the midst of her maids,beholding those birds of extraordinary appearance was filled withdelight, and strove without loss of time to catch those coursers of theskies. And the swans at this, before that bevy of beauties, fled in alldirections. And those maidens there pursued the birds, each (running)after one. And the swan after which Damayanti ran, having led her to asecluded spot, addressed her in human speech, saying, O Damayanti, thereis a king amongst the Nishadhas named Nala. He is equal unto the Aswinsin beauty, not having his peer among men. Indeed, in comeliness, he islike Kandarpa himself in his embodied form. O fair-complexioned one, Othou of slender waist, if thou becomest his wife, thy existence and thisthy beauty may be of purpose. We have, indeed, beheld celestials andGandharvas, and Nagas, and Rakshasas, and men, but never saw we beforeany one like Nala. Thou also art a jewel among thy sex, as Nala is theprime among men. The union of the best with the best is happy.’ Thusaddressed by the swan. Damayanti, O monarch, replied unto him there,saying, ‘Do thou speak thus unto Nala also, ‘Saying So be it, to thedaughter of Vidarbha, the oviparous one, O king, returned to the countryof the Nishadhas, and related everything unto Nala.”