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‘“Damayanti said, ‘O ruler of Nishadha! O fortunate one! It does not behove you to be suspicious of sin or find fault with me. I rejected the gods and chose you. It was in order to bring you here that the brahmanas had gone in all the directions, singing my words in verses in the ten directions. O king! At last, a learned brahmana named Parnada discovered you in Koshala, in Rituparna’s house. When I heard his words and the exact reply that you gave, I saw this means of bringing Nishadha here. O lord of the earth! O lord of men! Other than you, who in this world is capable of driving horses over more than a hundred yojanas in a single day? O lord of the earth! I touch your feet in worship and swear that I have not been unfaithful towards you, not even in my thoughts. If I have committed any sin, let the moving wind that courses through the world and is a witness to everything free me from my breath of life today. If I have committed any sin, let the sun which always travels the world with its sharp rays free me from my breath of life today. If I have committed any sin, let the moon which courses through all beings as a witness free me from my breath of life today. Let these three gods who hold up the three worlds relate the truth of exactly what has happened. Or let them abandon me today.’”
‘Brihadashva said, “Thus addressed, the wind-god spoke from the sky and said, ‘O Nala! I tell you the truth that she has not committed any sin. O king! Damayanti has protected her treasure of good conduct and has increased it. We have protected her for three years and are witness. This method that she has devised for your sake is unparalleled. But for you, there is no other man who can travel one hundred yojanas in a single day. O lord of the earth! Bhima’s daughter has obtained you and you have obtained Bhima’s daughter. Do not have any doubts about what you should do. Be united with your wife.’ While the wind-god was speaking, a shower of flowers fell from above. The drums of the gods sounded and a pure breeze began to blow. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! On witnessing this marvel, King Nala, the destroyer of enemies, gave up all his doubts about Damayanti.
‘“Then the lord of the earth donned the garment that does not decay and recalled to his mind the king of the serpents. He regained his old form. When Bhima’s daughter saw her husband in his own form, the unblemished one embraced Punyashloka and cried loudly. Radiant as before, King Nala also embraced Bhima’s daughter. He also embraced his children in the proper way and was delighted. The one with the beautiful face and the large eyes placed her head on his chest. Overcome with sorrow, she sighed heavily. The sweet-smiling one’s limbs were covered with dirt and tears flowed down. She embraced that tiger among men for a long time.
‘“O king! Then the mother of the daughter of Vidarbha happily informed Bhima about everything that had transpired between Nala and Damayanti. The great king replied, ‘I will see Nala and Damayanti tomorrow, after he has rested and performed his ablutions.’ O king! Then the happy couple conversed throughout the night about their earlier wanderings in the forest. They slept happily. He was united with his wife in the fourth year. He obtained all the objects of desire, attained all accomplishments and was supremely happy. Damayanti was extremely content at having regained her husband, like the earth with half-grown crops is, on receiving showers. She was united with her husband and all her fatigue had passed. Her fever was gone and her heart was filled with joy. All the desires of Bhima’s daughter were met and she was as radiant as the night, when the moon had arisen.”’
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‘Brihadashva said, “After the night had passed, King Nala adorned himself in ornaments. With Vidarbha’s daughter by his side, he went and met the king at the right time. Then Nala paid his respects to his father-in-law. Then the beautiful Damayanti also offered her respects to her father. Extremely delighted, Bhima welcomed him like a son. The lord also showed him due homage and comforted Nala, together with his devoted wife Damayanti. Thus honoured, King Nala also returned the honour in the proper way and offered his services to him.188 A great roar of joy arose in the city. The people were delighted to see Nala return in this way. The city was decorated with flags, flagstaffs and garlands. The streets were watered and the royal roads cleaned and adorned with flowers. At every door, the citizens placed flowers that had been cut. The gods were worshipped in all the temples.
‘“When King Rituparna heard that Bahuka was Nala and that he had been reunited with Damayanti, he was delighted. King Nala had him brought and begged forgiveness of the king. He who was intelligent begged forgiveness because of several reasons. Thus honoured, the surprised king spoke to Nishadha, ‘I congratulate you that you have been happily reunited with your wife. O Nishadha! O lord of Nishadha! If I committed any crime when you lived in disguise in my house, if I committed an offence, knowingly or unknowingly, please pardon me.’ Nala replied, ‘O king! You have not committed the slightest crime. Even if you had, I would not have been angered and would have forgiven you. O lord of men! You have always been my friend and my relative. I have lived happily in your house and you have always provided me with every object of desire, more in your house than in my own. O king! Please exhibit your friendship in future too. Your knowledge about horses vests with me.189 O king! If you so wish, I will happily impart it to you now.’ Having said this, Nishadha gave that knowledge to Rituparna. Having performed the prescribed deeds, he accepted it. When King Bhangasvari had obtained the knowledge about horses, he appointed another charioteer and left for his own city.190 O lord of the earth! After Rituparna had left, King Nala did not reside in the city of Kundina for a long time.”’
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‘Brihadashva said, “O Kounteya! Nishadha lived there for a month. Then, with Bhima’s permission, he left for Nishadha with a small number of attendants. He left with a single radiant chariot, sixteen tusked elephants, fifty horses and six hundred infantry. The earth trembled when the lord of the earth travelled speedily. Then the great-minded one entered, swiftly and wrathfully.
‘“Virasena’s son, Nala, went before Pushkara and said, ‘O Pushkara! Let us play with dice again. I have acquired a lot of riches. Damayanti, and everything else that I have acquired, will be my stake. The kingdom will be yours. It is my certain resolution that the game of dice must occur again. O fortunate one! Let there be a single stake. Let us offer our lives as stakes. When the other’s possessions, kingdom and riches, have been won, it has been said that it is supreme dharma to have a counter-stake as the last one. If you do not wish to have a duel with dice, let there be a duel with chariots. O king! Let either you or I find peace. The aged have laid down the ordinance that an ancestral kingdom must be obtained back, through whatever means. O Pushkara! Choose one or the other, according to your intelligence. Choose the game of dice, or bend your bow in battle.’ Having been thus addressed by Nishadha, Pushkara began to laugh. He was certain in his mind that he was going to win and replied to the lord of the earth, ‘O Nishadha! It is your good fortune that you have obtained riches for a counter-stake. It is your good fortune that Damayanti’s difficult times have now come to an end. O king! O uprooter of your enemies! It is your good fortune that you are still alive with your wife. I will win Vidarbha’s daughter, with all her ornaments and all these riches. She will then serve me, the way an apsara serves Shakra in heaven. O Nishadha! I have always remembered you and have been waiting for your return. I find no pleasure in gambling with those who are not my well-wishers. Having won the beautifully-hipped and unblemished Damayanti today, I will have accomplished my objective. She has always been in my heart.’ Having heard the words of the mad and insolent one, Nala was angered and desired to slice off his head with his sword.
‘“But though his eyes were copper-red with anger, the king smiled and said, ‘Let us stake. Why do you talk? Talk after you have won.’ Then the gamble between Pushkara and Nala commenced. O fortunate one! With a single stake, he was defeated by Nala. Thus, in the stake, he lost his entire store of treasures and his life. Having defeated Pushkara, the king laughingly told him, ‘This entire kingdom is now mine. Al
l its thorns have been removed. O stupid one! O sinful king! You will not be able to set your eyes on Vidarbha’s daughter. You and your family have been reduced to the state of slaves. That I was earlier defeated by you was not because of your deeds. That deed was done by Kali. But fool that you are, you did not understand this. I will never ascribe to you the offences committed by others. May you live in happiness. I grant you your life. O brave one! Let there be no doubt about my affection for you. The fraternal love I have for you will never decrease. O Pushkara! You are my brother. Live for a hundred years.’ Having thus comforted his brother, Nala, for whom truth was his valour, embraced him repeatedly and sent him off to his own city. O king! Having been thus comforted by Nishadha, Pushkara joined his hands in salutation and replied to Punyashloka, ‘May your fame be without decay. May you live happily for ten thousand191 years. O lord of the earth! You have granted me my life and a place to live in.’ Thus honoured by the king,192 the king193 lived there for a month. O king! Then Pushkara happily left for his own city, surrounded by his relatives, with a large army and accompanied by humble servants. O bull among men! His appearance was like that of the resplendent sun. After having sent Pushkara, the prosperous king, shorn of disease and laden with riches, entered his own city, which had been gorgeously decorated. Having entered, the lord of the Nishadhas comforted the citizens.”’
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‘Brihadashva said, “When the happy city had quietened down and a great festival had started, the king sent a large army to bring Damayanti. Damayanti’s father Bhima, terrible in valour, the destroyer of enemy heroes and indomitable in his soul, sent her with due honours. After the arrival of Vidarbha’s daughter with her children, King Nala spent his days in happiness, like the king of the gods in Nandana. The immensely famous king, having regained his kingdom, began to live there once more and became famous among all the kings of Jambudvipa.194 As is prescribed, he performed many sacrifices and gave away a lot of dakshina. O Indra among kings! Soon, together with your well-wishers, you will also spend this time. O bull among the Bharata lineage! O best of men! Thus did Nala, the destroyer of enemy cities, confront this kind of unhappiness, together with his wife, because of gambling. O lord of the earth! Nala, who was alone, suffered this terrible and great grief. But he regained his prosperity. O Pandava! But you are accompanied by your brothers and Krishna.195 Thinking about dharma, you are enjoying yourself in this great forest. O king! The immensely fortunate brahmanas, learned in the Vedas and the Vedangas, are always with you. Where is the cause for sorrow? It is said that this account brings about the destruction of Kali. O lord of the earth! On hearing it, a person like you is capable of being consoled. Thinking that human prosperity is always transient, you should not sorrow over its coming and going. Those who recount Nala’s great tale and those who listen to it often, are never confronted by calamity. He obtains riches and prosperity flows towards him. He who hears this eternal, supreme and ancient history, obtains sons, grandsons, animals and an exalted position among men. There is no doubt that he is without disease and finds happiness. O king! I will destroy the fear that you see, that you may be challenged again by someone skilled with dice. O king! I know the heart of dice. Truth is your valour and I am pleased with you. O Kounteya! I will tell you. Learn it from me.”’
Vaishampayana said, ‘The king196 was extremely happy and told Brihadashva, “O illustrious one! I wish to know the secrets about the heart of the dice from you.” Then the great-souled one gave the Pandava the secrets of the dice. Having given it, the immensely ascetic one went to Ashvashira197 to bathe. When Brihadashva had left, he198 heard from wise ones, brahmanas and ascetics that Savyasachi Partha was engaged in terrible austerities, surviving only on air. Those ones, who were rigid in their vows, had assembled there from large mountains and tirthas. They said, “The mighty-armed Partha is engaged in fearful austerities and so terrible are these austerities that the likes of them have not been witnessed before. Partha Dhananjaya is eternally engaged in the vows of an ascetic. The fortunate one is living alone like a hermit and is like the god Dharma personified.” O king! On hearing that his beloved brother Jaya199 was tormenting himself in the great forest through austerities, Pandava Kounteya suffered on his account. Tormented in his heart, Yudhishthira sought refuge in the great forest and questioned brahmanas who were versed in different kinds of knowledge.’
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Janamejaya said, ‘O illustrious one! When my great-grandfather Partha left Kamyaka forest, what did the Pandavas200 do without Savyasachi? It seems to me that the great archer, the vanquisher of enemy armies, was their refuge, like Vishnu is that of the Adityas. Without him, who is the equal of Indra in valour and has never withdrawn from the field of battle, how did my brave grandfathers spend their time in the forest?’
Vaishampayana replied, ‘O son! When Pandava Savyasachi left Kamyaka forest, the Kouravas were immersed in sorrow and grief. The Pandavas looked like jewels from a string that has been broken or birds whose wings have been clipped. All of them were unhappy. Without the one whose deeds are undecaying, the forest became like Chaitraratha201 when Kubera is not there. O Janamejaya! In his absence, the Pandavas, tigers among men, lived joylessly in Kamyaka. O best of the Bharata lineage! Those valorous maharathas use pure-tipped arrows to kill many kinds of sacrificial animals for the brahmanas. Those destroyers of enemies, tigers among men, collected forest fare every day, and after having spread it out, offered it to the brahmanas. O king! After Dhananjaya’s departure, those bulls among men lived there, unhappy in their minds and anxious about him.
‘In particular, Panchali remembered the husband who was in the middle, the brave one who was absent. She told the foremost of the Pandavas,202 “In the absence of the two-armed Arjuna, the equal of the many-armed Arjuna203 and the best of the Pandavas, this forest seems cheerless to me. Wherever I look, the earth seems to be empty to me. This forest, with its many marvels and blossoming trees, no longer seems to be attractive in Savyasachi’s absence. This Kamyaka is as blue as monsoon clouds and is frequented by elephants in rut. But without Pundarikaksha,204 it has no charm. The twang of his bow is like the roar of the thunder. O king! I remember Savyasachi and without him, I cannot find any peace of mind.” O great king! On hearing this lamentation, Bhimasena, the destroyer of enemy warriors, told Droupadi, “O beautiful one! O slim-waisted one! The words that you speak please the mind and they gladden my heart, like a sip of ambrosia. His arms were long and smooth and thick like clubs. They were round and marked from the string of the bow. With swords, weapons and clubs, with golden rings and arm-guards, they were like five-headed serpents. Without that tiger among men, the forest seems to have lost its sun. Depending on that mighty-armed one, the Panchalas and the Kurus do not fear even the powerful gods in battle. All of us found refuge in the arms of that great-souled one. We considered that we had routed our enemies and had obtained the earth. Without the brave Phalguna, I find no mental peace in Kamyaka. As I look upon this earth, it seems to me to be empty everywhere.” Nakula said, “He went to the northern directions and defeated immensely powerful ones in battle. Vasava’s son205 obtained hundreds of excellent gandharva horses. O king! They had the colour of partridges and were dappled. They were as fast as the wind. He gave them to his beloved brother at the time of the great rajasuya sacrifice. Without that terrible archer, Bhima’s younger brother, without the one who is an equal of the gods, I no longer wish to live in Kamyaka forest.” Sahadeva said, “He won riches and women in battle. He defeated maharathas. In earlier times, he brought them all to the king at the time of the great rajasuya sacrifice. He is an immensely radiant one who vanquished all the Yadavas in the field of battle. With Vasudeva’s consent, he single-handedly abducted Subhadra. When I see that Jishnu’s seat is empty in our house, there can never be any peace in my heart. O great king! I think we should no longer live in this forest. O destroyer of enemies! Without that brave one, none of us finds this forest to be attractive.”’
The
third volume will complete Aranyaka (Vana) Parva, the story of the sojourn in the forest and will cover Sections 33 to 44 of the 100-parva classification. This volume has detailed descriptions of tirthas and recounts the stories of Agastya, Rishyashringa, Kartavirya, Sukanya and Chyavana, Mandhata, Jantu, Shibi, Ashtavakra, Yavakrita, Jatasura, Markandeya and Arjuna’s slaying of the Nivatakavacha demons. The Kouravas are defeated by the gandharvas and freed by the Pandavas. Droupadi is abducted by the Kouravas (Jayadratha) and freed. Karna is robbed of his earrings by Indra.
Mahabharata Vol. 2 (Penguin Translated Texts) Page 46