TRUE LOVE OF NALA AND DAMAYANTI

The love story of Nala and Damayanti

Sage Brihadratha visited Pandavas during their exile period in the Kamyaka forest. Yudhishthira alongside his brothers welcomed and worshipped him there. Later Yudhishthira came to him and in a meek voice, he grieved over his unfortunate fate. He elaborated on how they got tricked, and humiliated in Hastinapur, and ended up struggling here in the forest.

Brihadratha told all the Pandavas the story of the beneficent King Nala that I'm about to write it down in a nutshell here in this post.

Nala was the son of Veerasena; the king of the Nisadha kingdom. He used to be a mighty, pious, and excellent-looking king. At that time there was also a king named Bhima of the Vidarbha kingdom(Not to be confused with the Pandava Bhima), who was blessed with one daughter and three sons by the Damana sage. His daughter's name was Damayanti. She used to be charming, glamorous, and courteous. She reached a younger age. People used to explain Nala related to Damayanti's beauty and Damayanti about King's glory. They both wished to get each other. One day Nala went to a garden close to Antapura and saw a swan there. He captured it and requested the king not to kill him. The swan informed him that he could convince Princess Damayanti not to place any king in her heart other than King Nala. King then released the swan. It went to The princess and elaborated on the king's power, his brilliance which resembled Ashwini Kumaras, and his greatness, and asked her to become his wife. Damayanti engrossed herself completely in wondering about the king only. Seeing his daughter concerned and stressed King Bhima announced her swayamvara.

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Narada told Indra and all deities about the Swayamvara. Indra, Varuna, Dharmaraja, and Firegod all desired to participate in that and went toward the kingdom. On their way they noticed King Nala there, seeing the fascinating looks they all determined to send him as their representative. Since Nala himself wished to marry Damayanti, he politely denied being a messenger of the deities. However, later he couldn't deny the deities so he had to follow their command, later he entered the palace of Damayanti with the assistance of the deities, introduced himself in front of her, and conveyed the message of deities. She was already attracted to Nala and expressed her feelings to marry him only. King Nala asked her to pick out one of the deities rather than a common man like him. He also noted it would be recommended that she not go against all of the deities. But Damayanti had already made up her mind on deciding Nala as her husband solely so she gave him an impeccable solution. She requested him to come along with all the deities to her Swayamvara, the place she would pick him as her husband only.

King Nala returned from her palace and on his way back, deities asked about her reply. He defined to them Damayanti's blameless selection for inviting all of them to her Swayamvar and being insistent on deciding on Nala there as her husband. Deities alongside Nala went to the Swayamvara and all five of them sat near each other. They seemed so charismatic and comparable in looks. Damayanti could not recognize King Nala amongst them and thus started praying to the deities. She while folding her hands in front of them expressed her desire to choose King Nala as her husband only and asked the Lokapalas to help her recognize King Nala by revealing their true forms. All the Deities put their required powers inside Damayanti to differentiate King among them. She noticed one person amongst five of them who had his shadow, sweat on his body, his garland was bent downwards, and he could blink his eyes. Damayanti immediately recognized that person could only be King Nala, not a deity thus putting her garland around his neck, she chose him as her husband. Glad Deities then granted Nala eight boons such as Indra blessed him that, "You will have my sight in front of you during your Yajna and I shall bless your good fortune after its competition", Agni granted him, "You will get Punya Loka similar to me and similar to Indra, I will appear wherever and whenever you wish to see me," Yama blessed him that, "You will have delicious taste in your food items and you will stay in your sanity", and Varuna dev blessed him that, "You will have sufficient water  as per your requirement and Your flowers will be scented." Then they all left the Swayamvara.

There is another incident that occurred on the day of Swayamvara While going back to the heavenly deities noticed Kali-yuga along with Dwapara yuga on their way and after asking they came to comprehend that they were going in the direction of the Swayamvara. Indra noted to them that it was already over that time and Damayanti had chosen Nala and they got married. Kaliyuga got angry and wished to punish Nala as He was chosen over the great deities. He additionally wished to curse but Indra denied that. And the deities left for heaven. Kaliyuga decided to enter into the physique of King Nala and asked Dwapara to help him at some stage in Gambling.

One day king forgot to wash his feet before evening worship. That time Kaliyuga entered his body. He additionally created another shape of him and went to Pushkara; King Nala's relative brother and recommended him to play gambling with Nala. Damayanti tried to stop him from doing such. King Nala was so preoccupied with gambling he overlooked everybody and later lost the whole lot to Pushkara. He left the kingdom with Damayanti. On their way to the forest, birds took away the king's sole cloth that he was wearing. Both of them were thirsty and hungry. The depressing king asked Damayanti to go away for the Vidarbha Kingdom. 

Since she was a committed wife she could no longer depart him in such a situation. King wrapped his body with the sole cloth she was wearing. They were devastated. Out of stress and hunger, they slept in a place. While Damayanti was once deep asleep King got up and determined to depart her there for her very own good. As he could not keep her comfortable he regretted it and anxiously roamed around the place naked. He then found a sword cut half of Damayanti's cloth, he covered his body with the same and abandoned her there. Kaliyuga had captured his thought already so he left her alone.

Damayanti after walking up was traumatized to see her husband nowhere. She was distressed and crying continuously. In order to locate her husband, she faced many challenges. once a  deadly python tried to engulf her from her legs however she was rescued by a hunter. But he later intended to intimate with her forcefully. Since Damayanti was certainly dedicated to her husband she cursed the hunter and he died there. She even met some merchants who were on their way to the Chediking palace. Damayanti decided to depart for the kingdom alongside all of them. Unfortunately, many of them were crushed under wild elephants' toes in that

forest whilst they had been taking a nap. The rest of them blamed Damayanti as the cause of their awful luck. Damayanti was in a dilemma. However, she walked alongside some Brahmins and reached Chediking Subahu's kingdom. king's mother rescued her and sheltered her. She didn't give her husband's introduction however explained her scenario which occurred after her husband lost everything at gambling. 

She told King's mother that she would continue to be there only with certain conditions "I will not speak to any guys other than Brahmins. Any guy who misbehaves with me will be punished by you. I will by no means wash anyone's feet. "

On the other side, King Nala went into the dense forest, discovered a fire blazing at one place, and heard someone crying for help. Kind Nala entered the hearth and noticed snake king Karkataka there. Who was once cursed before by Narada to remain stunned at that place as if he was rooted there like a tree? Only Nala could rescue the snake from such a curse which was cited by Narada to Karkataka. The snake shaped into a tiny form and Nala carried him away from the fire. After reaching a safe place, Nala decided to let him go and at that time the snake requested him to count the number of trees there. While Nala was occupied with counting the snake bit him. Suddenly Nala became pale his skin turned into blue colour. He could see the snake had taken King Nala's actual form there. 

Karkataka consoled the king that, "I have bitten you for your very own good. No one will recognize King Nala. Moreover, Kali has been living inside your body for a long time for which you have suffered a lot. Kali will suffer inside your body as your physique will slowly absorb the poison. That will certainly make him leave your body. 

Karkataka additionally comforted the king by announcing, "You will never sense the pain of poison and win over your brother Pushkara. You must now visit King Ritvipurna or Ritwipurna at Ayodhyapuri, learn gambling From him, and in return teach him Ashva vidya. You will triumph over your brother and get back your spouse and children. Take these two divine clothes, whenever you wish to come back to your unique form, remember about me and wear the clothes." King agreed and visited Ayodhyapuri followed by the snake's wordings. King Ritwipurna gladly let him stay in his kingdom. King continually used to hear Nala grieving about a girl who was deserted in a wooded area by way of her silly husband in the forest.

Vidarbha king Bhima those days sent some Brahmins to locate his daughter Damayanti and King Nala. Sudeva Brahmin reached the Chedi kingdom and located Damayanti there. He was once upset to see the princess pale and weak. He conveyed the message from the king that he used to be searching for her and let her be aware that her children were safe. Sudeva elaborated about Damayanti to the king's mother and with her blessings, he alongside Damayanti left for the Vidarbha kingdom. King Bhima and his spouse were blissful to see their daughter. Damayanti then asked them to locate her husband Nala.

After a while, a Brahmin named Parnada reached Ayodhyapuri and told the king about Nala and Damayanti. After he met with the king when he was about to leave, Nala who used to be known as Bahuka came to him, cried a lot, and anxiously inquired about Damayanti's welfare. The Brahmin defined this to Damayanti when he came back to their kingdom and additionally mentioned to her that Bahuka was the charioteer of the King in Ayodhyapuri and he seemed ugly. After hearing this from the Brahmin, Damayanti could not control her emotions. To bring him back to her, she requested Sudeva to go to Ayodhyapuri and announce her second Swayamvara. He obeyed her and invited King Ritwipurna. Nala heard the entirety and could not accept it as true that Damayanti ought to do such. In order to recognize the truth, he agreed to take the king to the Vidarbha kingdom. On their way, the king was very impressed to see the power and tricks of Bahuka while riding the horses of the chariot. That day Bahuka resembled the charioteer Matali. King also showed him his knowledge of math. That time king asked Bahuka to instruct him on the Asva vidya there and in return, he gave him the knowledge of gambling. After acquiring all the knowledge about gambling, kali yuga came out of his body. He was once struggling with the Karkataka snake's poison. Angry Nala was about to curse Kaliyuga there but he pleaded with him not to do so. Nala agreed and kali yuga left him. King Ritwipurna couldn't see Kaliyuga there talking to his charioteer. They both reached the Vidarbha kingdom.

Hearing the fierce sound of the chariot, Damayanti thought that solely Nala king would have arrived there as he knew the Asva vidya only. She ran to the gate and noticed Brave King Ritwipurna sitting on his chariot along with Bahuka. King Bhima reached there and welcomed Ritwipurna. He didn't know about the Swayamvara announcement. Seeing the king exhausted Bhima requested them to take a rest and made the arrangements for their refuge and food. Damayanti couldn't see Nala there. She assumed the charioteer for sure had learned Asvavidya competencies from his husband only.

Damayanti sent a girl named Keshini to Bahuka in order to recognize her husband Nala. Keshini asked about Bahuka's identity and if he knew something regarding Nala. 

Bahuka told her, "I am the charioteer of King Ritwipurna and have come here alongside the king as per the invitation for Swayamvara." He also referred to nothing regarding Nala. Keshini to comprehend the actual truth elaborated on how Damayanti was abandoned by way of the king and how she suffered because of a Gambler husband. 

Bahuka then answered regrettably, "A devoted wife like Damayanti has to forgive the king as he solely left her alone because he was unable to provide her happiness. She should not get angry with the king. " Then he cried a lot. Kesini defined everything to Damayanti. Damayanti even tested Bahuka who used to be blessed by deities of eight boons. All his behaviour proved that he was once king Nala only. She then took another test by way of sending her children to Bahuka. Seeing his kids Bahuka was so delighted he hugged them. But he did not disclose his real identity.

At last, she took the permission of her parents and requested Bahuka to come into the Assembly corridor and instructed him at once about her husband Nala who had left her in a pathetic situation. Bahuka could no longer cover his feelings and started crying. 

He cited her, "I lost my kingdom and abandoned you in the wooded area due to the fact of the Kaliyuga's impact on me. Kali has already left my body. Being a devoted wife, how ought you even consider any other Swayamvara."

Damayanti advised him that she had intentionally planned this to know about him. Even Wind god introduced that Damayanti was clean by her character and she had solely performed this to get back her husband. That time Nala recalled the Karkataka snake and covered himself with the divine clothes that the snake had given to him. Then he got back into his real form. Damayanti hugged him out of happiness. Later King Nala asked for forgiveness from King Ritwipurna for hiding his actual identity. He went to Nisadhdesh and defeated Pushkara through gambling. He got back his kingdom and they all lived peacefully.

So this is how they got back to each other again. Brihadratha sage had told this story to Yudhishthira and all others to stay sturdy and face the difficulties with patience.

Ref: Mahabharata book Vana Parva

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