Kisari Mohan Ganguli

“ Or if that sinful one beholdeth us emerge, after the expiry of the pledged period of non-discovery, he will again invite thee, O great king, to dice, and the play will once more begin. Summoned once more, thou wilt again efface thyself at dice. Thou art not skilled at dice, and when summoned at play, thou wilt be deprived of thy senses. Therefore, O mighty monarch, thou wilt have to lead a life in the woods again. ”

“ And after I shall have slain all our foes, thou mayst come back unto the woods, By acting thus, O king, no fault will be thine. ( Or if any sin be thine ) , O repressor of foes, O mighty monarch, washing it off, O sire, by various sacrifices, we may ascend to a superior heaven. Such a consummation may come to pass, if our king proveth not unwise or procrastinating. Thou art, however, virtuous. Verily the deceitful should be destroyed by deceit. To slay the deceitful by deceit, is not regarded as sinful. ”

“ And beholding that virtuous ascetic before him, the righteous king worshipped him according to the ordinance, with the offering of Madhuparka. And when the ascetic was seated and refreshed, the mighty-armed Yudhishthira sat by him, and looking up at the former, addressed him thus in exceedingly piteous accents :
‘O holy one, summoned by cunning gamblers skilled at dice, I have been deprived of wealth and kingdom through gambling. I am not an adept at dice, and am unacquainted with deceit. Sinful men, by unfair means, vanquished me at play. ”

“ Thou also art a jewel among thy sex, as Nala is the prime among men. The union of the best with the best is happy.’ Thus addressed by the swan, Damayanti, O monarch, replied unto him there, saying, ‘Do thou speak thus unto Nala also, ‘Saying So be it, to the daughter of Vidarbha, the oviparous one, O king, returned to the country of the Nishadhas, and related everything unto Nala. ”

“ And, O king of kings, desirous of having offspring, Bhima, versed in morality, with his queen gratified that illustrious Rishi by a respectful reception. And Damana, well-pleased, granted unto the king and his consort a boon in the form of a jewel of a daughter, and three sons possessed of lofty souls and great fame. ”

“ Do thou, therefore, choose one of them for thy lord.’ Thus addressed by Sakra, Nala said with joined hands, ‘I have come here with the self same object. It behoveth thee not to send me (on this errand) . How can a person who is himself under the influence of love bring himself to speak thus unto a lady on behalf of others? ”

“ Do thou inform Damayanti of our arrival, saying, ‘The gurdians of the world, (consisting of) the great Indra and the others, are coming to the assembly, desirous of beholding (the Swayamvara) . The gods, Sakra and Agni and Varuna and Yama, desire to obtain thee. ”

“ With the Lokapalas present, choosest thou a man? Do thou turn thy heart to those high-souled lords, the creators of the worlds, unto the dust of whose feet I am not equal. Displeasing the gods, a mortal cometh by death. ”

“ And the swan after which Damayanti ran, having led her to a secluded spot, addressed her in human speech, saying, ‘O Damayanti, there is a king amongst the Nishadhas named Nala. He is equal unto the Aswins in beauty, not having his peer among men. ”

“ Hearing the words of Narada, the slayer of Vala and Vritra said, ‘Those righteous rulers of the earth who fight renouncing all desire of life, and who meet death when their time is come by means of weapons, without flying from the field —theirs is this region, everlasting unto them and granting all desires, even as it is to me. ”

“ And that sacred assembly of kings, graced by those tigers among men, resembled the Bhogavati swarming with the Nagas, ora mountain cavern with tigers. And their arms were robust, and resembling iron maces, and well-shaped, and graceful, and looking like five-headed snakes. ”

“ And beholding her uneasy and fallen into that condition, her hand-maids represented, O king, the matter of her illness unto the ruler of Vidarbha by indirect hints. And king Bhima, hearing of this from the handmaids of Damayanti, regarded the affair of his daughter to be serious. And he asked himself, “Why is it that my daughter seemeth to be so ill now?’ And the king, reflecting by himself that his daughter had attained to puberty, concluded that Damaynti’s Swayamvara should take place. ”

“ What hath she said unto us all? O sinless monarch, tell us everything.’ Nala answered, ‘Commanded by you I entered Damayanti’s palace furnished with lofty portals guarded by veteran warders bearing wands. ”

“ It was for the sake of that mighty warrior that I refrained from sending to the other world all the Dharta- rashtras along with the Suvalas, in the midst of the assembly. Gifted with might of arms, and supported by Vasudeva, we have to suppress the wrath that hath been roused in us, because thou art the root of that wrath. ”

“ And, O thou of sweet smiles, truly do 1 tell thee this that as long as life continueth in this body of mine, I will remain thine and thine alone. Damayanti also, with folded hands paid homage unto Nala in words of like import. And the happy pair beholding Agni and the other gods mentally sought their protection. And after the daughter of Bhima had chosen Naishadha as her husband, the 'Lokapalas' of exceeding effulgence with pleased hearts, bestowed on Nala eight boons. ”