Mahabharata Vol. 2 (Penguin Translated Texts) (50 page)

‘Brihadashva said, “The one with the unblemished limbs heard the words of the leader of the caravan. Desirous of seeing her husband, she accompanied him. After a long time and many days had passed, the merchants saw a pond in the midst of that large and
terrible forest. It was extensive and beautiful on all sides. It was fragrant with lotuses. It was charming, with a lot of grass and kindling and had a lot of roots and fruit. It was frequented by masses of many kinds of birds. They saw that the water was clean and delightful and brought pleasure to the mind. Since the animals of transport were extremely tired, they resolved to rest there. With the permission of the leader of the caravan, they entered that supreme forest. When the day moved westwards, that great caravan settled down to rest. When it was midnight, everything was quiet. The tired caravan was asleep.

‘“A herd of elephants arrived to drink at a mountain stream and the water overflowed with their musk. They saw the supreme caravan asleep along their path, together with other elephants.
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They suddenly trampled them, as they were asleep on the ground. A wail arose from the merchants as they sought for protection. They were blind from sleep and in their great fear, dashed towards the creepers in the forest. Some men were killed by the tusks of the elephants. Others were trampled by the feet. In great fear, a large number of cattle, donkeys, camels and horses and those who were on foot, fled. They injured each other. Uttering terrible roars, they fell down on the ground. Some climbed trees and when those broke, fell down on the uneven ground. In this way, that prosperous group of merchants was destroyed. When it was morning, the men who were still alive emerged from the creepers in the forest and sorrowed over the slaughter that had taken place. O lord of men! They grieved for brother, father, son and friend. The daughter of the king of Vidarbha lamented, ‘What evil act have I committed in the past? I found an ocean of men in this deserted forest. Through my ill fortune, they have now been destroyed by a herd of elephants. It is certain that I will suffer more, for a long time to come. I have heard from the aged that no one dies before the time has come. Had that not been true, my miserable self would have been killed by this herd of elephants today. Indeed, nothing befalls men, if not brought about by destiny. I committed no sin, not even as a child, or in deeds, thought or words. What has brought about this misery? At the time of the svayamvara, the
assembled gods who are the lords of the worlds were rejected by me for the sake of Nala. It must be because of their influence that I suffer this separation now.’ The beautiful-limbed one sorrowed and lamented in this fashion. O tiger among men! She left with the brahmanas, learned in the Vedas, who had survived. She was miserable and overcome with sorrow.

‘“After travelling for a long time, she arrived in the evening at a great city. This belonged to Subahu, the truthful king of Chedi. She entered that supreme city, clad only in half a garment. She was pale, thin and miserable. Her hair was loose and had not been washed. She walked like one who was demented. The citizens saw her enter the capital of Chedi in this way. In their curiosity, vulgar boys followed the lady. Surrounded by them, she approached the royal residence. The king’s mother saw her from the palace, surrounded by these people. She restrained the people. O king! In her amazement, she made Damayanti ascend into that supreme palace and asked her, ‘You have clearly been overtaken by misfortune. How is your form so beautiful? You blaze like lightning in the clouds. Tell me. Who are you and whom do you belong to? Even though you are shorn of ornaments, your form cannot be human. Your radiance is like that of an immortal or a brahmana. Though helpless, you have not been scared of these men.’ On hearing these words, Bhima’s daughter replied thus, ‘Know me to be a woman who follows the same vows as her husband. Know me to be a
sairandhri
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of noble birth. I am a maidservant and live wherever I wish. I live alone on fruits and roots and find a bed wherever evening falls. My husband has innumerable qualities and has always been devoted to me. I have always followed my valiant husband, like a shadow. It was through ill fortune that he was extremely addicted to gambling. He was defeated in a game of dice and left alone for the forest. The brave one was clad in a single garment and was maddened with grief. So as to comfort him, I
followed him into the forest. One day, in that forest, the brave one was overcome by hunger and thirst and had to go elsewhere. He was careless and lost even the single garment that he possessed. He was naked and maddened and lost whatever senses he possessed. I followed him, clad in my garment. But I could not sleep for many nights. Then, after a long time, I fell asleep and he abandoned me, though I had done no harm. He sliced my garment into two. I have been searching for my husband, tormented by grief, day and night. But I have not been able to find my beloved, who is the lord of my life and riches and like an immortal to me.’ Her eyes filled with tears, she lamented thus in many ways. Bhima’s daughter suffered. The king’s mother, who herself suffered with her, then told her, ‘O fortunate one! Stay with me, I am pleased with you. O blessed one! My men will hunt out your husband. Or perhaps, while he is roaming around here and there, he may arrive here on his own. O blessed one! Live here and you will get your husband back.’ On hearing these words of the king’s mother, Damayanti replied, ‘O mother of brave ones! I can live with you, but I will not eat leftover food. Nor will I wash the feet of others. I will never speak to other men. If any man solicits me, he must be punished. But in the course of searching for my husband, I will see brahmanas. If this can be done, I will certainly stay with you. But if it is otherwise, my heart will never allow me to stay.’ The king’s mother told her with a happy mind, ‘I will do all this. A vow like this should be praised.’ O lord of the earth! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! On hearing the words of Bhima’s daughter, the king’s mother told her daughter Sunanda, ‘O Sunanda! Though she will be a sairandhri, know her to be like a goddess. Always enjoy yourself with her, without any anxiety in your mind.’”’

‘Brihadashva said, “O lord of the earth! When King Nala had abandoned Damayanti, he saw a great forest fire in that deep
forest. From the midst of the fire, he heard the voice of a being. It cried again and again, ‘Come here, Nala! Come here, Punyashloka!’ Nala replied, ‘Do not be afraid,’ and entered the centre of the fire.
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He saw the king of the snakes lying there in coils. Trembling, the serpent joined his hands in salutation and told Nala, ‘O king! Know me to a serpent named Karkotaka. O king! I had once captured an innocent brahmarshi who was extremely great in austerities. O lord of men! He had cursed me in his anger. Because of his curse, I am unable to move even a step from this place. If you rescue me, I will teach you that which will ensure your welfare. I will be your friend and there is no serpent who is my equal. I will become very light. Pick me up swiftly and leave.’ Having spoken these words, the lord of the serpents became as small as a thumb. Grasping him, Nala went to a region that was free of flames. He came to an open space that was free of the black-trailed fire.

‘“He wished to let the serpent go. But Karkotaka again told him, ‘O Nishadha! Walk on and count your steps as you proceed. O great king! I will ensure your great welfare when you do this.’ At that, he began to count and he was bitten at the tenth step. As soon as he had been bitten, his form instantly changed. On witnessing his deformed body, Nala stopped, looked at himself and was astounded. The lord of the earth saw that the serpent had assumed his own form. Then the serpent Karkotaka consoled Nala and said, ‘I have brought this change in your form so that no one may recognize you. O Nala! I have done this so that the person who has injured you with this great distress will unhappily reside inside you, stung by my venom.
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O great king! As long as he does not free you, he will hurt from my venom all over his body. He will suffer from misery as long as he lives there. O lord of men! You were innocent and did not deserve to be harmed. I have protected you from the anger and envy of the one who has cheated you. O tiger among men! O lord of men! You will no longer face any fear from enemies who have fangs or from
those who have knowledge of the brahman.
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O king! You will suffer no pain on account of the poison. O Indra among kings! You will always be victorious in battles. O king! Go from here and say that you are the suta Bahuka. Go to Rituparna, who is extremely skilled in gambling with dice. O lord of the nishadhas! Leave now for the beautiful city of Ayodhya. In exchange for your skill with horses, that king
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will give you the skill with dice. That prosperous one, descended from the lineage of Ikshvaku, will become your friend. When you have become skilled with the dice, you will ensure your welfare and prosperity. You will be reunited with your wife. Banish all sorrow from your mind. I tell you truthfully that you will obtain your kingdom and your children. O lord of men! When you desire your own form back, recall me in your mind and clad yourself in these garments. On wearing these garments, you will obtain your own form back.’ Having said this, he then gave him two divine garments. O Kourava! O king! Having thus instructed Nala and given him the garments, the king of serpents disappeared, then and there.”’

‘Brihadashva said, “When the serpent disappeared, Nishadha Nala left for Rituparna’s city and entered there on the tenth day. He went before the king and spoke these words, ‘I am Bahuka. I am skilled in driving horses and there is no one on earth who is my equal. I am skilled and can be asked about all difficulties connected with artha. I also know the art of cooking and especially on this, there is no one better than I am. If there is anything in this world connected with artisanship or any other difficult matter, I will seek
to accomplish them all. O Rituparna! Therefore, maintain me.’ Rituparna replied, ‘O Bahuka! O blessed one! Reside with me. You will do all this. My mind has always been particularly attracted to the question of speed. Devise some means of yoking so that my horses travel fast. Be the superintendent of my stables and your salary will be a hundred thousand. Varshneya and Jivala
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will always follow your instructions. O Bahuka! Spend your days happily with them and reside with me.’ Having been thus addressed and honoured, Nala lived there in Rituparna’s city, in the company of Varshneya and Jivala.

‘“While living there, the king continued to think about the daughter of Vidarbha. Every evening, he recited a shloka which said, ‘O ascetic! Hungry, thirsty, fatigued and miserable, where are you? Do you keep thinking about that unfortunate one? Whom are you attached to now?’ Having heard the king recite this in the night, Jivala said, ‘O Bahuka! I wish to hear about the one over whom you always sorrow.’ Thus addressed, King Nala replied, ‘There was one who lost his senses. There was a lady he thought much of and she was firmer towards him. Because of a certain reason, that unfortunate one was separated from her. Separated from her, that evil-minded one roams around, oppressed by unhappiness. Day and night, he is tormented by sorrow and cannot sleep. Remembering her at night, he recites this shloka. Having wandered around the entire earth and having obtained some things somewhere, he has now settled down, though he doesn’t deserve to. Remembering her, he always sorrows. That woman even followed the man into the difficulties of the forest. But the one with limited virtue abandoned her and it is difficult for her to be still alive. She is alone, young, inexperienced about the roads and unaccustomed to difficulties. She is hungry and thirsty and it is difficult for her to be still alive. Predators always roam in that great and terrible forest. O respected one! She was abandoned by the one with limited virtue, the evil-minded one.’ Thus did the king of Nishadha remember Damayanti, while he lived a life of disguise in the king’s house.”’

‘Brihadashva said, “When Nala had lost his kingdom and had left for the forest with his wife, Bhima sent brahmanas to search out and find Nala. Bhima gave them a lot of riches and asked them to go and find Nala and his daughter Damayanti. ‘Accomplish this task and find where the king of Nishadha is. I will give one thousand cows to whoever does this. I will give him a village to live in and it will be the size of a city. Even if Nala and Damayanti are not brought back, but are only discovered, I will give riches equal to ten thousand cows.’ Having been thus addressed, the brahmanas happily left in all the directions. They looked for Nishadha and his wife in many cities and countries.

‘“There was a brahmana named Sudeva. In his search, he came to the beautiful city of Chedi and saw Vidarbha’s daughter in the king’s palace. At that time, she was with Sunanda and it was the sacred time for the king to say his prayers. Only a little bit of her great beauty could be seen, like the luminosity of the sun engulfed in a net of haze. On seeing that large-eyed one, though she was extremely thin and dirty, he used different arguments to deduce that she was Bhima’s daughter. Sudeva said, ‘This lady’s beauty is exactly like what I have seen before. After seeing her, I have accomplished my objective today. She is like Shri and brings pleasure to the worlds. Her face is like the full moon. She is dark. Her breasts are beautifully rounded. Through her radiance, this goddess dispels darkness in all the directions. Her eyes are beautiful, like the lotus or the palasha. She looks like Manmatha’s Rati.
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She is desired by all the worlds, like the rays of the full moon. Because of destiny and the adversity of fate, she has been dislodged from the lake of Vidarbha. Her limbs are encrusted with dirt and mud, exactly like the stalk of a lotus. Or she is like the night of the full moon when the moon has been swallowed up by Rahu.
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She is miserable and despondent because of sorrow for her husband, like the course of a river that has run dry. She looks like a pond of lotuses devastated by the trunks of elephants, with the flowers decayed and the birds scattered in fear. She is delicate and her limbs are of noble lineage. She should be in a house that is a store of jewels. But she burns in the heat like the uprooted stalk of a lotus. She has the qualities of beauty and generosity. However, though she deserves them, she is not adorned in ornaments. She is like a sliver of the moon in the sky, when it is covered by dark clouds. She is deprived of objects of desire. She has been separated from her loved ones and distanced from her relatives. The miserable one sustains her body, in the hope of seeing her husband again. The husband is the supreme ornament for a woman, even if she has no other ornaments. Without him, even a beautiful woman does not seem beautiful. Without her, Nala must be facing great difficulties. How does he hold up his body, without immersing himself in sorrow? She is there, with eyes like a lotus with a hundred petals. She is one who deserves happiness. But seeing her unhappy, my mind also suffers. When will this radiant one reach the other shore, overcoming this unhappiness? When will this faithful one unite with her husband, like Rohini with the moon?
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The Nishadha will certainly be delighted when he gets her back. The king who has lost his kingdom will regain it and the earth with it. Nishadha deserves Vidarbha’s daughter and the black-eyed one deserves him. They are similar in conduct and age. They are similar in lineage. She is anxious to see her husband and he is immensely brave and powerful. It is my duty to comfort the wife. I will console the one with a face like that of the full moon. She has never before witnessed the misery she is suffering now. Because of her sorrow, she is now reflecting all the time.’ Through different signs and arguments, he arrived at this conclusion.