Nala Vrata

The Gaṇeśa Purāṇa gives its own account of King Nala of Nishadha. It says that his birth as a great and famous king was the fruit of a Gaṇeśa vrata (a vow of worship) that he had kept in an earlier life. In that life he was a poor kshatriya (warrior), and he kept the Varada Gaṇeśa Vrata under the guidance of Kauśika Muni. He was then born as Nala, king of Nishadha. As Nala, he kept the vrata again.

Nala’s past life under Kauśika Muni

Before his famous life as Nala of Nishadha, the same ātmā (soul) had been born as a poor kshatriya, living in hardship and in a low position. He came to the āśrama of Kauśika Muni, a great ṛshi and teacher, and asked for guidance. Kauśika Muni saw the worth of the kshatriya’s ātmā and the true search behind his distress. He taught him the whole way of keeping the Varada Gaṇeśa Vrata.

The kshatriya kept the vrata faithfully under Kauśika Muni’s direction. He offered what little he had with full sincerity and one-pointed devotion to Gaṇeśa. The puṇya (merit) of this vrata removed the obstacles of past action that had kept him in a low position, and it opened a very different path for him. (Upāsanā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 52)

Rebirth as Nala of Nishadha

By the grace of Gaṇeśa and the puṇya of that vrata in his past life, the ātmā was born as Nala, a son of the royal house of Nishadha. The Mahābhārata celebrates him as one of the most gifted and best-loved kings of his age. He was known for his skill in driving a chariot, his mastery of horses, his handsome form and his devotion to dharma. His marriage to the beautiful Damayantī and their famous love are part of the great narrative of his life.

The Gaṇeśa Purāṇa teaches that this wonderful birth, and all the gifts that came with it, was no accident. It was the direct fruit of the humble kshatriya’s sincere vrata in the earlier life. All that Nala had, his kingdom, his beauty, his fine character and his beloved wife, was the gift of Gaṇeśa and the reward of that earlier devotion. (Upāsanā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 52)

The vrata kept again as Nala

As King Nala, he still carried the mark of his devotion from the earlier life, and he kept the Varada Gaṇeśa Vrata again. This second time made the bond between his ātmā and the grace of Gaṇeśa deeper. The puṇya of two lifetimes of devotion to Gaṇeśa became the hidden support that carried Nala through the great trials of his life. These were the terrible dice game in which he lost his kingdom, his wandering in the forest with Damayantī, and the long years of suffering and separation before they were united again and his kingdom was restored.

The Gaṇeśa Purāṇa shows these famous trials of Nala in a new light. What looked like overwhelming misfortune was a passage through hardship that led in the end to restoration and greater glory. The grace of Gaṇeśa, gathered through the vrata in two lifetimes, made sure that the restoration was complete. (Upāsanā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 52)

Sources

• Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Upāsanā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 52