141. Tale of Nala and Damayanti
This is the majestic story of Nala and Damayanti, where the purest of loves is challenged by the bitterest of jealousies, where a king falls from grace into utter despair, and where a queen's unwavering devotion becomes the force that ultimately defeats the dark influence of a vengeful god.
Part I: The Genesis of Love and Divine Intervention
Chapter 1: The Virtuous Rulers
In the ancient kingdom of Nishadha reigned King Nala, a man of exceptional qualities. His form was like a celestial being—handsome, strong, and graceful. He was renowned not only for his skill in warfare and governance but also for his deep, almost magical knowledge of horses and, strangely for a king, an uncanny ability to prepare the most exquisite cuisine. He governed with justice, and his people prospered.
Hundreds of miles away, in the prosperous kingdom of Vidarbha, lived Princess Damayanti, the daughter of King Bhima. Her beauty was legendary; she was flawless, radiant, and her virtue shone brighter than any jewel.
Through the songs of bards and the whispers of travelers, Nala heard of Damayanti's perfection, and Damayanti heard of Nala's nobility. They fell into a deep and agonizing love, a passion born purely from imagination and respect. Their hearts were bound together, aching for a meeting that seemed impossible. Nala would pace his gardens, whispering her name to the wind. Damayanti would sigh by her window, lost in dreams of the noble King she had never seen.
Chapter 2: The Golden Messenger
One afternoon, Nala found his moment of destiny in his royal garden. A magnificent flock of golden swans (Hamsas) descended upon the lake, their feathers shimmering like pure gold in the sun. Nala quietly captured one of the largest and most beautiful birds.
To Nala’s astonishment, the swan spoke in a voice like a silver bell. “O King of Nishadha, why do you detain me? Release me, and I shall repay your kindness tenfold. I will fly to Princess Damayanti and sing your praises in such detail that she will desire no other man in all the three worlds.”
Nala’s eyes widened with hope. He gently released the bird. “Go quickly, noble Hamsa! Tell her that my heart is consumed by her image. If she does not return my love, I cannot long survive.”
The Hamsa flew swiftly to Vidarbha, finding Damayanti alone in her chamber. The swan began to speak of Nala’s virtues: his bravery, his charm, his kindness, comparing him to the gods themselves. Damayanti listened, enchanted, her secret love confirmed.
“Dearest Hamsa,” she whispered, tears shining in her eyes. “You have sealed my fate. Tell your master, King Nala, that my soul is his. If he does not come to me, I shall surely die of longing. Return now, and carry my devotion to him.” The swan flew back, and Nala’s joy knew no bounds.
Chapter 3: The Assembly of Suitors (Swayamvara)
King Bhima, seeing his daughter's profound sorrow and knowing the cause, decided it was time. He announced the great Swayamvara, inviting kings and princes from every corner of the world to compete for her hand.
But the news reached the heavens. The four mighty guardian gods of the cosmos—Indra (Lord of the Heavens), Agni (God of Fire), Varuna (God of Water), and Yama (God of Death)—also desired the flawless Damayanti. They descended to Earth, and on their way, they encountered Nala, traveling humbly toward Vidarbha.
The gods stopped Nala. Indra spoke with divine authority: "Nala, we know of your journey and your love. But we, the gods, also desire Damayanti. You must now serve as our messenger. Go tell her that she must choose one of us, for a mortal man cannot compare to the immortals."
Nala was crushed. “O Great Gods, how can I fulfill this task? I am her suitor, and I have traveled for her love. How can I ask her to reject me for my rivals?”
Yama, the stern god, replied: “Your duty to us is paramount. Do as we command. If you refuse, a curse will fall upon you.” Nala, trapped by the gravity of their divine command, bowed his head. “I will do your bidding, though it shall break my heart.”
Chapter 4: The Test of Devotion
By their divine power, the gods allowed Nala to enter Damayanti’s private chambers unseen by guards. He stood before her, the King she loved, but now only a herald of her doom.
Damayanti’s face lit up with pure joy. “My Lord! You have come! My heart’s wish is fulfilled!”
Nala, his voice heavy with despair, corrected her. “Sweet Princess, I am here as a messenger, not a suitor. I was sent by Indra, Agni, Varuna, and Yama, who stand outside. They desire you and command you to choose one of them. Rejecting a god will bring great misfortune.”
Damayanti’s smile vanished. Tears welled up, but her resolve was stronger than her fear. “Noble Nala,” she pleaded, “I bow to the gods, but I have already given my soul to you. I swore to the Hamsa that I would choose you. If I must choose one of the gods, let them strike me down now, for I will place my garland only on Nala. Come to the Swayamvara, and there I will make my choice known.”
Nala was moved by her singular devotion. “Your truth is powerful, Damayanti. I have delivered their message. The decision is yours, and I shall not sway it.” He returned to the gods, detailing her absolute refusal, and the gods, though surprised, grudgingly accepted her challenge.
Chapter 5: Damayanti Chooses
On the day of the Swayamvara, the great hall overflowed with royalty. Damayanti entered, radiant yet nervous. She gazed across the throng of suitors, searching for her beloved.
Her steps faltered. Standing in the center were five identical figures, each possessing the exact form, beauty, and regal aura of King Nala. The gods, in their final test, had transformed themselves perfectly.
Despair seized Damayanti. How could she choose? She closed her eyes, bowing her head in fervent prayer. “O Elemental Gods, O Divine Powers! If my love for Nala is true, if my devotion is pure, if my choice has always been sincere, then I beg you, reveal the true King to me!”
Moved by the intensity of her plea, the divine illusion softened. The gods revealed their true, celestial marks: The four divine figures stood without shadows, their garlands remained unwilted, their robes were unsullied by dust, and their eyes did not blink. The fifth man, Nala, stood human, casting a clear shadow, his garland drooping slightly, his eyes momentarily shut in prayer.
With a joyful sob, Damayanti knew. She stepped forward, her vision restored by faith, and with trembling hands, placed the beautiful nuptial garland around the neck of the true Nala. The gods smiled, blessed the couple, and returned to the heavens.
Chapter 6: The Marriage and the Curse
Nala and Damayanti were married in a ceremony of great pomp, celebrating their victory over the celestial suitors. They returned to Nishadha and spent twelve years in blissful rule, eventually welcoming twin children: a son, Indrasena, and a daughter, Indrasenā. Their kingdom prospered, and their happiness seemed endless.
But as the gods ascended, they encountered a sinister pair: the malevolent god Kali, the embodiment of the dark age, and his companion, Dvapara. When Kali learned that a mortal man had been chosen over the powerful gods, a furious, deep-seated jealousy took root in his heart.
“A mortal! A mere man of dust and breath won the hand of the peerless Damayanti!” Kali raged. “I swear I shall strip him of everything—his wealth, his kingdom, and the love of that chaste queen! I will possess his soul.”
Dvapara agreed to aid him. “I shall enter the dice, my Lord. We will destroy Nala through the weakness of gambling.” Kali vowed to wait, patiently searching for a flaw in Nala's conduct that would allow him to enter the King’s pure soul.
Part II: Ruin, Exile, and Separation
Chapter 7: Kali's Entrance and the Dice Game
The moment arrived one morning when Nala, distracted by his own royal duties, failed to wash his feet completely before his morning prayers. It was a slight, momentary lapse in ritual purity—and it was all Kali needed. The malevolent god instantly entered Nala’s unsuspecting soul.
Nala’s nature began to subtly shift. He grew cold, distracted, and arrogant. His brother, Pushkara, a prince long resentful of Nala's greatness, seized the opportunity and challenged the King to a game of dice.
Damayanti, whose love gave her a sixth sense, recognized the shift in her husband immediately. She rushed to him, her eyes wide with fear. “My Lord, please, this is not you! You hate gambling, yet your eyes are glazed with obsession! This is a dangerous spirit, King! Stop now, while you still have something left!”
Nala, under Kali's spell, looked at her with vacant, cold eyes. “A king cannot refuse a challenge, Damayanti. Do not interfere with matters of men. I will play this one last hand.” But one last hand turned into a ruinous streak. Nala could not stop.
Chapter 8: The Loss of the Kingdom
Over a terrible span of days, Nala played, his fortune draining away with every throw. Pushkara, guided by Dvapara within the dice, won consistently. Nala lost his gold, his army, his jewels, and his royal treasury.
Damayanti, seeing the inescapable end, took swift, decisive action. She ordered the royal charioteer, Varshneya, to take their children immediately to Vidarbha. “Take them, Varshneya. Take them far away. Tell my father we are ruined, but the children must be safe from this darkness.”
Finally, in a dramatic throw, Pushkara won Nala’s entire kingdom. He banished Nala and Damayanti. Stripped of all dignity and wealth, the once-glorious King and Queen were forced to walk out of the city gates, clothed only in a single, torn garment that they had to share between them.
They slept for three days on the outskirts of their lost city, starving and shivering.
Chapter 9: The Abandonment
Tormented by Kali, Nala's guilt became a crushing weight. He could not bear to see Damayanti suffer further. One morning, he saw a flock of golden birds settle near them. Thinking they might be edible, Nala removed the single cloth they shared and threw it over the birds to trap them. Instantly, the birds flew away—they were the transformed dice, taking his last shred of clothing.
Nala collapsed in despair. “I am cursed, Damayanti. I am utterly ruined. My company brings only pain. If I leave you, you will return to your father and be safe. You are better off without me.”
That night, as Damayanti slept exhausted from hunger and cold, Nala silently tore the single cloth in half. He slipped away, his heart a raw wound, running into the dense, dark woods, leaving behind the only light left in his life. He rationalized the betrayal as a final, torturous act of love.
Damayanti awoke hours later to a freezing emptiness. She saw the torn cloth beside her and cried out in disbelief, “Nala! My Lord! Where are you? Why have you left me? I chose you over the gods! This is not the noble Nala I married! This must be the work of a dark, evil spirit!” Her world had dissolved into a nightmare.
Part III: Trials, Disguise, and Recognition
Chapter 10: Damayanti's Trials
Grief quickly turned to determination. Alone in the heart of a savage forest, Damayanti began her search. She was resilient, fueled by her absolute faith in her husband’s innate goodness.
Her journey was fraught with terror. She was attacked by a huge python, which she managed to escape. Later, a lustful hunter cornered her. When he refused to heed her pleas, Damayanti, with the power of her unwavering chastity (pure devotion), invoked a curse upon him. The hunter immediately burst into flames and turned to ash. Damayanti had proven that her virtue was a weapon.
She continued wandering, praying ceaselessly for her lost husband, until she stumbled upon a merchant caravan.
Chapter 11: Service in Chedi
Traveling with the merchants, Damayanti eventually reached the kingdom of Chedi. She appeared ragged and broken, yet there was an undeniable regal grace about her. The royal Queen Mother, seeing her, was moved by her sorrow and offered her sanctuary.
Damayanti accepted, but refused to reveal her identity. “I will serve here, O Queen, but only as a servant. I will not wash feet, nor eat leftovers. I am searching for my lost husband. I will serve as your personal maid, or Sairandhri, until I find him.”
The Queen agreed. Damayanti served with dignity, her beauty hidden by soot and sorrow, patiently waiting for a sign of Nala. Her dignity was unassailable, and she refused the advances of any man, confirming her steadfast dedication.
Chapter 12: Nala's Transformation and New Life
Meanwhile, Nala, maddened by guilt, fled deeper into the woods. He heard a pitiful cry for help—a serpent trapped in a massive forest fire. Overcoming his fear, Nala rushed into the flames and rescued the snake, who revealed himself to be the serpent-king Karkotaka.
“Thank you, noble man,” hissed Karkotaka. “But you must become unrecognizable to escape your tormentor, Kali.” The snake bit Nala, and instantly, Nala’s body twisted and shrunk. His skin turned dark, his teeth became uneven, and he developed a terrible hunchback. He was no longer the handsome King.
Karkotaka handed Nala a magical garment. “Wear these to restore yourself when the time is right. Now, go to King Rituparna of Ayodhya. Tell him you are a charioteer named Bahuka. Serve him faithfully, and from him, you will gain the knowledge you need to defeat Kali.”
Nala, heartbroken but obedient, took on the disguise of the ugly dwarf Bahuka. He reached the court of King Rituparna, introduced himself as a master charioteer and cook, and was immediately hired.
Chapter 13: The Search and the Messenger
Back in Vidarbha, Damayanti was finally recognized by a traveling Brahmana named Sudeva and brought home to her ecstatic parents. Her children were restored to her, but her joy was incomplete without Nala.
King Bhima launched a relentless search, but all efforts failed. Finally, Damayanti devised a brilliant, desperate plan. She sent a trusted Brahmin messenger to every kingdom, carrying a carefully crafted, provocative message to be publicly broadcast: “O King, she who loved you even when you were ruined is now alone. Why did you leave her? And where are you? If you are truly a king, tell me your crime!”
The messenger returned with only one meaningful reply. In the court of King Rituparna, the hideous charioteer named Bahuka had overheard the message and muttered with deep emotion, “A man who is possessed by an evil spirit will commit terrible acts, even against the one he loves. It is better to leave her to a peaceful fate than to drag her down to ruin with him.”
Chapter 14: The Second Ruse
Damayanti instantly knew. The answer betrayed the depth of Nala’s own self-loathing—it could only be her husband. But how to draw him out? She needed a final, impossible test.
She sent a new messenger to King Rituparna with the most astonishing lie: “Damayanti has decided that since her husband Nala is lost, she must hold a second Swayamvara tomorrow to choose another husband.”
The messenger added a crucial detail: “The ceremony will be tomorrow, so only those who can reach Vidarbha by dawn will be able to attend.”
King Rituparna, confident in Bahuka’s legendary skill with horses, immediately called for his charioteer. “Bahuka! If you can drive me to Vidarbha by tomorrow morning, you shall have endless gold!”
Chapter 15: The Knowledge Exchange
Bahuka (Nala) readily agreed. He drove the chariot with an unimaginable speed. They flew over mountains and valleys.
As they sped along, the King noticed Bahuka's profound knowledge of horses and charioteering. Rituparna, meanwhile, was a master of Aksha-hridaya—the science of dice and numbers.
Rituparna pointed to a towering Vibhitaka tree, boasting, “I can tell you the precise number of leaves and fruits on that tree just by looking at the dice patterns!”
Bahuka, skeptical, challenged him. Rituparna demonstrated his incredible mathematical mastery. Stunned, Bahuka realized that the King possessed the very knowledge the serpent Karkotaka had promised him.
Rituparna spoke: “Bahuka, if you will exchange your peerless knowledge of horses for my Aksha-hridaya, we both shall benefit!”
Bahuka accepted the trade. The instant Nala received the knowledge of dice, the dark, malignant power of Kali was instantly purged from his body. Kali, now expelled, stood visible to Nala for a brief moment—a hideous, shimmering shadow. Nala commanded him to leave, and Kali, defeated by the power of true knowledge and devotion, vanished with a wail.
Chapter 16: Recognition and Reunion
Bahuka arrived in Vidarbha, his outward form still that of the ugly dwarf. Damayanti watched him from the terrace, her heart pounding. She saw the speed with which he dismounted, the way he calmed the horses, the unparalleled flavor of the royal food he cooked—these were Nala’s unique traits.
She sent their twin children, Indrasena and Indrasenā, to Bahuka. Seeing his own children after years of agony, Bahuka could not stop his tears. “O My Lord,” he whispered, “I am so sorry I left you.”
Damayanti rushed to him. “Bahuka! Why do you weep at the sight of my children? If you are Nala, why did you leave me? And if you are not Nala, why do you possess all his skills, his tears, and his mannerisms? Tell me the truth!”
Nala’s emotions broke. He could no longer hide. “Damayanti! It was not I who left you, but the evil god Kali, who possessed me! I was destroyed by jealousy, but my love for you never died! I am Nala, transformed by Karkotaka’s magic!”
He then remembered the magical cloth. Taking it from his pocket, he draped it over himself. Instantly, the hunched form straightened, the dark skin faded, and King Nala stood before her, restored to his original, magnificent form. The lovers fell into a tearful, joyous embrace, their long separation ending in a moment of pure, divine grace.
Chapter 17: Triumph and Restoration
After their reunion, Nala remained in Vidarbha long enough to rest and strategize. He then returned to Nishadha, sending a challenge to Pushkara: “You shall play one last game of dice against me—for the entire kingdom!”
Pushkara, confident in his former victory, readily accepted, unaware that the dark influence of Kali was gone and Nala now possessed the mastery of dice. The game was swift and decisive. Nala played flawlessly, winning back his entire kingdom, his treasury, and his royal honor.
Nala, in an act of profound mercy, forgave Pushkara and allowed him to leave with his life. He returned to Damayanti, and they re-entered Nishadha to the ecstatic cheers of their subjects. King Nala and Queen Damayanti ruled for many decades thereafter, their love story a timeless testament to the power of devotion, virtue, and the eventual triumph of good over the darkest forces of adversity.
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