Damayantī
Damayantī, simply known as Damayanti, Sanskrit: दमयन्ती, Telugu: దమయంతి, Hindi: दमयंती.
Damayantī was the daughter of Bhīma, king of Vidarbha, and the wife of Nala, king of Nishadha. Her story is told in the Nala-Damayantī Upākhyāna of the Mahābhārata, in the Vana Parva. She was known for her beauty and for her understanding. At her svayaṃvara (a bride’s own choice of husband) she chose Nala, even when four lokapāla-s took Nala’s form to confuse her. After Kali entered Nala and ruined them through a game of dice, she lived alone in the forest, found shelter in Cedi, and worked out a plan to find Nala. She was at last united with him, after the time he lived in disguise as Bāhuka.
Birth and fame
Damayantī was born as the daughter of King Bhīma of Vidarbha. Vidarbha was a rich realm with noble rulers. The Mahābhārata says her beauty and grace had no equal among mortals, gandharva-s or apsarā-s. News of her beauty and character spread through the world. It reached Nala through haṃsa messengers, and it first woke his love for her (Vana Parva, Chapter 52).
The haṃsa messengers
Haṃsa-s (divine swans) came to Nala’s garden in Nishadha and told him of Damayantī’s beauty. Haṃsa-s that visited Damayantī’s palace told her of Nala’s great virtues. Through these messages a bond of love grew between them before they had ever met. It rested not on sight alone, but on the fame of each other’s inner qualities. Damayantī’s longing for Nala grew so strong that her companions and her father saw it. This led to the arranging of the svayaṃvara (Vana Parva, Chapter 53).
The svayaṃvara: Nala among the lokapāla-s
At the svayaṃvara, the four lokapāla-s (guardians of the directions) Indra, Yama, Varuṇa and Agni all wished to marry Damayantī. They took Nala’s exact form to confuse her choice. Damayantī faced a row of five identical figures and had to find the one who was a mortal.
She saw that the four divine beings cast no shadow. Their garlands did not wither and no dust touched them. They did not blink, and their feet did not touch the ground. Only Nala had a shadow, a wilting garland, dust on his body, blinking eyes and feet resting on the earth. By these signs she knew him and garlanded Nala with full certainty.
The lokapāla-s were moved by her faithfulness and her sharp judgment, and they blessed the couple with vara-s (boons):
- Indra granted that Nala would excel in tapas (austerity) and reach the highest worlds.
- Yama granted excellence in dharma and in the art of cooking.
- Varuṇa granted that water would appear wherever Nala wished.
- Agni granted that fire would arise at Nala’s will.
(Vana Parva, Chapters 55–56.)
Kali enters Nala and the game of dice
Kali came too late for the svayaṃvara. He was angry that Damayantī had chosen a mortal, and he vowed to destroy Nala. He waited twelve years. Then he found a moment when Nala was ritually unclean, because Nala had not washed his feet after passing urine before the evening prayers. Kali entered Nala’s body. With Kali in him, Nala’s judgment was ruined.
Nala’s brother Pushkara challenged him to a game of dice. Under Kali’s hold Nala lost everything over several days of play. He lost his kingdom, his treasury and even his clothes. When Nala had nothing left, Pushkara sent him and Damayantī out of the kingdom (Vana Parva, Chapters 57–59).
Exile and separation
In the forest Damayantī shared Nala’s exile without complaint. They had nothing and lived on forest fruits. One night, while Damayantī slept, Nala was still held by Kali and in torment. He wrapped her in his own garment and left her alone in the forest. The Mahābhārata treats this as the saddest point of the narrative. Nala was forced by the poison of Kali within him to leave his loyal wife, against his own love and nature.
Damayantī woke alone and was heartbroken. She met several dangers. A great serpent seized her. A hunter saved her, but then tried to attack her, and she cursed him with śāpa (a curse) of death. She also faced the deep darkness of the forest. She wandered until she found a caravan and joined it. Wild elephants destroyed the caravan in the night. At last she reached the kingdom of Cedi (Vana Parva, Chapters 60–62).
Shelter in Cedi
Damayantī came to the capital of Cedi thin and half mad with grief, wearing only half a cloth. Sunandā, the queen mother of Cedi, saw her from the palace. She saw that Damayantī was a woman of rare quality in spite of her state. Sunandā took her in, gave her shelter and made her a companion to her own daughter.
Damayantī lived in Cedi as Sairandhrī and did not reveal who she was. She set her terms. She would not wash the feet of men. She would not eat what others had left. If any man came near her without respect, he would be punished. Sunandā agreed (Vana Parva, Chapter 62).
The plan to find Nala
Damayantī’s mother found her through brāhmaṇa-s who had been sent to search, and sent her a message. Damayantī made herself known and asked to go home, and this was arranged. Once she was safe in Vidarbha, she began to look for Nala.
She asked the searching brāhmaṇa-s to travel the world and look for any man who had once left a sleeping woman alone in the forest. If they found such a man, they were to say these words, which she had spoken that night, in his presence, and watch how he answered:
“O gambler, where have you gone, leaving your faithful wife asleep and in pain?”
A brāhmaṇa named Parṇada reached the kingdom of Ayodhyā. He spoke these words before Bāhuka, the charioteer of King Ṛtuparṇa. Bāhuka was in truth Nala in disguise. Tears filled Bāhuka’s eyes. This was reported to Damayantī (Vana Parva, Chapters 67–68).
The second svayaṃvara
Damayantī made a second plan. She had it announced that she would hold a second svayaṃvara, since Nala was thought to be dead. She fixed the date only one day ahead. Her reasoning was this. Only Nala, famed for his great skill with horses (the Aśvahṛdaya), could drive from Ayodhyā to Vidarbha in one day. Ṛtuparṇa would need to make that same journey to attend. If Bāhuka drove Ṛtuparṇa there in one day, then Bāhuka was Nala.
The plan worked. Bāhuka drove Ṛtuparṇa from Ayodhyā to Vidarbha in a single day, and crossed the great distance with his unmatched skill (Vana Parva, Chapters 70–71).
Keśinī’s inquiry and the reunion
Damayantī sent her companion Keśinī (also called Bṛhatsena) to watch Bāhuka. Keśinī was to report on how he behaved, on his skills, and on any sign of who he really was. Keśinī came back with full reports. Bāhuka could light fire at will. He could make water appear from an empty vessel. He could cook food with great speed. These were the powers the lokapāla-s had given to Nala. Even so, Keśinī was not fully sure.
Damayantī went to see Bāhuka herself. Face to face, she asked him in a deeply moving way:
“Have you seen a man who left his sleeping wife in the forest? I never wronged him. Why did he do this to me?”
Nala made himself known and explained that it was Kali’s hold on him, not his own will. At this moment Kali left Nala’s body, and Nala took his own form again. Nala and Damayantī were filled with joy, and so were their children, who were brought to them (Vana Parva, Chapters 73–74).
After the reunion
Nala’s identity was confirmed and Kali was gone. Nala returned to Nishadha and challenged Pushkara to a second game of dice. This time Nala had received the Akshahṛdaya, the science of dice, from Ṛtuparṇa in exchange for the Aśvahṛdaya. He played with full knowledge. He won back everything in one sitting, and Pushkara did not win a single turn. Pushkara was spared but lost all he had. Nala and Damayantī were reunited in their kingdom and restored to their former glory, and more (Vana Parva, Chapters 76–78).
Sources
- Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapters 52–79 (the Nala-Damayantī Upākhyāna)
- Chapter 52: her birth and fame
- Chapter 53: the haṃsa messengers
- Chapters 55–56: the svayaṃvara
- Chapters 57–59: Kali and the game of dice
- Chapters 60–62: exile, separation, and shelter in Cedi
- Chapters 67–68: the plan to find Nala
- Chapters 70–71: the second svayaṃvara
- Chapters 73–74: Keśinī’s inquiry and the reunion
- Chapters 76–78: after the reunion