‘Then the mighty-armed Bhima spoke to Yudhishthira, “O great king! It was on your instructions that the bull among men went. The lives of the sons of Pandu are established in Arjuna. If he is destroyed, there is no doubt that we ourselves, the Panchalas and their sons, Satyaki and Vasudeva will be destroyed. That energetic one departed, without thinking about the many difficulties he would confront. Bibhatsu went on your instructions. What can cause greater grief than that? All of us have depended on the arms of that great-souled one, thinking that we will triumph over our enemies and win the earth. It was the influence of the one with the bow that prevented me from killing all of Dhritarashtra’s sons, together with Soubala, in the midst of that sabha. We have the strength of our arms and we are controlling the anger for which, you are the reason. We are protected by Vasudeva. If Krishna and we had killed the enemies led by Karna, we would have ruled the earth, conquered through the strength of our arms. All of us are faced with this calamity because of your vice of gambling. O king! We do not lack in manliness. We are supremely strong among those who are strong. O great king! You must bear in mind the dharma of kshatriyas. It is not the dharma of kshatriyas to reside in the forest. The learned have said that the supreme dharma of kshatriyas is to rule over the kingdom. O king! You know the dharma of kshatriyas. Do not stray from that path of dharma. O king! Let us kill the sons of Dhritarashtra before the twelve64 years have passed. Return from the forest and summon back Partha and Janardana. O great king! O lord of the earth! Let us kill their armies and battle formations in a great battle. I will send the sons of Dhritarashtra to another world. Together with Soubala, Duryodhana, Karna and whoever else wants to fight back, I will kill all the sons of Dhritarashtra. After I have pacified them, you can return again to the forest. O lord of the earth! If we do this, no blame will be attached to you. O father!65 O destroyer of enemies! If a sin is committed, we can perform various sacrifices. O great king! Wiping it off in that way, we can attain supreme heaven. O king! This is the way it should be, if our king is not foolish or is not given to procrastination.66 Indeed, you are always devoted to dharma. But it is certainly the way of the wise to kill those who are deceitful through deceitful means. There is no sin attached to killing deceitful ones through deceitful means. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! O great king! Those who are learned in dharma say that in accordance with dharma, a day and a night are equal to an entire year. O illustrious one! O great king! We have heard the words from the Vedas that in times of calamity, one entire year is equal to a day. O Achyuta!67 Therefore, if the Vedas are the authority, regard the passage of thirteen years as equal to a single day. O destroyer of enemies! This is the time to kill Duryodhana and his followers. O king! Otherwise, he will bring the entire earth under his suzerainty.” When Bhima said this, Dharmaraja Yudhishthira inhaled the fragrance of the Pandava’s head and spoke to him in tones of pacification, “O mighty-armed one! There is no doubt that you will kill Suyodhana, together with Gandivadhanva, but only after the thirteen years have passed. O Partha! O illustrious one! You have said that the time has arrived. But I cannot utter a lie, because that finds no place in me. O Kounteya! O invincible one! You will kill Suyodhana and his followers, but without resorting to deceit, because that will certainly be sin.” While Dharmaraja Yudhishthira was speaking to Bhima, the immensely fortunate and great rishi Brihadashva arrived.
‘He was a follower of dharma. And when Dharmaraja, with dharma in his soul, saw him arrive, he worshipped him with madhuparka,68 as is prescribed in the sacred texts. When he was rested and seated, the mighty-armed Yudhishthira looked at him and addressed him in these piteous words, “O illustrious one! I have been robbed of my riches and my kingdom in gambling with dice. I was challenged by those who were skilled in deceit and skilled in playing with dice. I am not skilled in dice and the deceitful ones had decided on a course of evil. My wife is more precious to me than my own life and she was dragged into the sabha. Is there any king on earth who is as misfortunate as I am? Have you seen anyone else? Have you heard of anyone else? I think that there is no man who is more miserable than I am.” Brihadashva replied, “O great king! O Pandava! You have said you think that there is no man more unfortunate than you are. O unblemished one! O lord of the earth! On this, I can narrate an account, if you wish to hear it. This is the story of a king who was more miserable than you.” At this, the king69 told the illustrious one that he wished to hear the account. He wished to hear about the king who found himself in a situation like his own.
‘Brihadashva said, “O king! O lord of the earth! O Achyuta! Then listen with your brothers. There was a king of the nishadhas by the name of Virasena. He had a son named Nala, learned in the ways of dharma and artha. We have heard that this king was deceitfully defeated by Pushkara and though he did not deserve it, lived unhappily in the forest with his wife. When that king lived in the forest, he never had any horses, any chariots, any brothers or any kin. But you are surrounded by your brave brothers, who are the equals of the gods and by the foremost among brahmanas, who are like Brahma himself. Therefore, do not sorrow.”
‘Yudhishthira said, “O best among eloquent ones! I wish to hear in detail the account of that great-souled Nala. Please tell it to me.”’
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‘“Nala, tiger among men, was unsurpassed on earth. He was so handsome that he was like Kandarpa73 personified. In wonder, they repeatedly praised Nala in her74 presence and Damayanti before the king of Nishadha.75 Having incessantly heard about each other’s qualities, they desired each other, though they had not seen each other. O Kounteya! That desire for the other became very strong. Nala became incapable of holding that desire in his heart. He retired alone to a grove near the inner quarters.76 There he saw swans77 whose wings were golden. As they were roaming in the grove, he grasped one bird. Then that roamer of the sky spoke to Nala, ‘O king! Do not kill me. I will do that which will bring you pleasure. O king of the nishadhas! I will speak about you in Damayanti’s presence, so that she never thinks of any other man but you.’ Having been thus addressed, the king freed the swan and the swans ascended and flew to Vidarbha. Having arrived at the city of Vidarbha,78 the birds descended from the sky before Damayanti and she saw them. On seeing those extraordinarily beautiful roamers of the sky, a
nd surrounded by her friends, she happily wished to grasp them. The swans spread in different directions in that beautiful grove. Each lady then ran after a particular swan. The swan that Damayanti pursued took her to a secluded area and then addressed Damayanti in human language, ‘O Damayanti! There is a king of the nishadhas by the name of Nala. He is like the Ashvins in beauty and there is no man equal to him. O beautiful one! O slender-waisted one! If you become his wife, your birth and your beauty will become successful. We have seen gods, gandharvas, men, serpents and rakshasas. But we have never seen one like him. One like him has not been seen before. You are a jewel among women. Nala is supreme among men. The union of the special with the special has all the qualities.’ O lord of the earth! Thus did the swan speak to Damayanti and she replied to the swan. ‘Speak this way to Nala.’ O lord of the earth! The one who was born from an egg accordingly promised the lady from Vidarbha. He returned to Nishadha and told Nala everything.”’
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‘Brihadashva said, “O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Having heard the words of the swan, on account of Nala, Damayanti no longer had control over herself. Thinking about this, she became dejected, pale of complexion and thin. Damayanti became prone to sighing deeply. She would cast her glance up at the sky. She looked like one demented. She found no pleasure in her bed, in her seats or in enjoyment. She did not rest during the day or the night and continuously lamented and wept. Her friends saw her state and her form and knew from the signs that she was ill. O lord of men! Damayanti’s crowd of friends reported this to the king of Vidarbha. They recounted her state. On hearing about this from Damayanti’s crowd of friends, King Bhima began to think about the great task that he would have to perform for his daughter’s sake. The king reflected on this and decided that his daughter had attained maturity. He saw that his task was to organize a svayamvara for Damayanti. O lord of the earth! O illustrious one! He invited all the brave lords of the earth to attend the svayamvara. On hearing that Damayanti’s svayamvara would be held, on Bhima’s instructions, all the kings came to King Bhima. The earth was filled with the roar of elephants, horses and chariots. Those great-souled kings could be seen with their decorated armies, bedecked in colourful garlands and ornaments.
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‘Brihadashva said, “O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Nala gave his promise to do so. He then joined his hands in salutation and asked them, ‘Who are you? Who desires that I should be his messenger? What is the task that I am required to perform? Tell me in detail.’ Thus addressed by Nishadha, Maghavan replied, ‘Know that we are the immortals and that we have come here for Damayanti’s sake. I am Indra. This is Agni. This is the lord of the waters.85 O king! This is Yama, who brings an end to human bodies. Go and tell Damayanti that the lokapalas, together with Indra, are arriving with a desire to see her. The gods Shakra, Agni, Varuna and Yama wish to obtain her. She should choose one of these gods for her husband.’ Thus addressed by Shakra, Nala joined his hands in salutation and requested them not to send him for this purpose, as he had the same objective. The gods replied, ‘O Nishadha! You have already promised to do our bidding. O Nishadha! How can you then fail to do what we ask. Go immediately.’ Thus addressed by the gods, Nishadha again replied, ‘How can I enter a palace that is guarded so well?’ Shakra again told him that he would be able to enter. Having been thus addressed, he went to Damayanti’s residence.
‘“There he saw the daughter of Vidarbha, surrounded by a crowd of friends. She was radiant in her form and fortune and was supremely beautiful. Her limbs were extremely delicate. Her waist was slender and her eyes were beautiful. In her radiance, she seemed to dim the light of the moon. On seeing the sweet-smiling one, his desire increased. But bearing in mind the promise that he had given, he restrained his wishes. The beautiful ladies were bewildered on seeing Nishadha. They arose from their seats, overcome by his energy. Astounded, but extremely delighted, they praised Nala. But they did not say anything to him. They only thought about it in their own minds. What beauty, what radiance, what fortitude exist in this great-souled one! Who is he? Is he a god, a yaksha or a gandharva? The beautiful ladies were overcome by his energy and were bashful. They were not able to speak a single word to him. Damayanti was also struck with wonder. But she smilingly spoke to the brave Nala, who was also smiling. ‘Who are you? All your limbs are flawless and you are increasing my desire. O brave one! O unblemished one! You have arrived like an immortal. I wish to know how you have entered. How is it that you have not been noticed? On the strict instructions of the king, my palace is guarded well.’ Having been thus addressed by the daughter of Vidarbha, Nala replied, ‘O fortunate one! Know me to be Nala. I have come here as a messenger of the gods. The gods Shakra, Agni, Varuna and Yama wish to obtain you. O beautiful one! Choose one of those gods as your husband. It is through their influence that I have been able to enter unnoticed. When I entered, no one saw me and no one restrained me. O fortunate one! It is for this purpose that I have been sent by the supreme among the gods. O beautiful one! Having heard this, make up your mind about what you wish to do.’”’
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‘Brihadashva said, “She bowed to the gods and smilingly told Nala, ‘O king! What can I do for you? Tell me with love and respect. I, and whatever riches I possess, are all yours. O lord! Show me love with respect. O king! I have been tormented by the words of the swan. O brave one! It is for your sake that I have assembled the kings here. O one who shows respect! I love you. If you reject me, for your sake, I will have to find refuge with poison, fire, water or the rope.’86 Thus addressed by the daughter of Vidarbha, Nala replied, ‘How do you desire a man when the lords of the worlds are here? I am not equal to the dust on the feet of those great-souled lords, the creators of the worlds. Turn your mind towards them. A mortal one w
ho causes displeasure to the gods wishes for death. O beautiful and unblemished one! Therefore, save me by choosing from the supreme among the gods.’ Then the sweet-smiling Damayanti, whose voice was choked with tears, replied to King Nala in soft words, ‘O lord of men! I see a way, a way that will bring no sin. O king! Then no evil will be attached to you. O best of men! You and all the gods, with Indra at the forefront, must come together to where my svayamvara takes place. O lord of men! O tiger among men! There, in the presence of the lords of the world, I will choose you and no sin will be attached to you.’ O lord of the earth! Thus addressed by the daughter of Vidarbha, King Nala returned to where the gods had assembled.
‘“The lords of the worlds, together with their lord,87 saw him return. On seeing him, they asked him about everything that had happened. The gods asked, ‘O king! Did you see the sweet-smiling Damayanti? O king! O unblemished one! Tell us everything that she said.’ Nala replied, ‘As instructed by you, I entered Damayanti’s palace. It had large and excellent rooms and was surrounded by elderly guards with staffs. When I entered, because of your energy, no man saw me, except for the daughter of the king. I saw her friends and they saw me too. O lords of the gods! All of them were astounded on seeing me. I told the one with the beautiful face everything about you. O supreme among the gods! But she has set her heart on me and will choose me. The lady said, “O best of men! Let all the gods come with you to my svayamvara. O supreme among men! O mighty-armed one! I will then choose you in their presence and no sin will be attached to you.” O lords of the thirty!88 I have related to you exactly what occurred there. But it is for you to decide what should be done.’”’