Episode 45

Effects of Kali –

The story of Damayanthi and Nala Maharaj [i]

This is one of the biggest stories of Maha Bharata. The story is a mixture of romance and suffering. It is such a popular story that it is the subject matter of many poets in the later Maha Bharata period. The romance of Nala and Damayanthi is the subject matter of Sri Harsha’s popular Naishadiya Charitam. Though it starts with romance, it merges into the path of tragedy. But we cannot call it a viṣādāṃta (tragic ending) but it can be certainly a viṣādātmaka (full of sufferings and adversities) story. The story is aimed at consoling Dharmaraja that he was not the only king who was enduring difficulties in life.

Traditional people believe that by hearing this story, the effects of Kali can be warded off. When I listened this story in the lap of my father some fifty years back, I remember vividly that he had broken a coconut and then told the entire story.

Since it is a very big story, half the story is being presented in this episode 45. The rest of the story with analysis will appear in the episode 46.

The story

In the last episode, we saw Arjuna at the court of Indra and we also saw how Urvasi cursed Arjuna. When Arjuna was in the abode of heaven for five years, the rest of the Pandavas were feeling desperate not knowing any clue about his whereabouts. At times Bhima was aggressive and wanted an immediate attack on Kauravas but Dharmaraja was restraining him since he could not deviate his owe to be on exile for thirteen years.

When Pandavas were in the pathetic mood, they saw a rishi, Brihadasva approaching towards them. Dharmaraja immediately went towards the sage and offered Madhuparka[ii] and made him sit on a pedestal. Then he bowed before the sage and asked, ‘Oh, sage! You know how we are defeated dubiously in the game of dice and how our kingdom is snatched away by Kauravas. We are now ordained by fate to live the life of wanderers in the forest. Is there anyone upon this earth who suffered like us?’

Brihadasva smiled and told, ‘Hi, Dhrmaraj! There is a king who suffered in the hands of the fate and he is the king Nala.  I shall enlighten his story to you and your brothers’. Then he started telling the story of Nala.

Once upon a time there was a king by name Nala ruling the land of Bharat. He was known for his bravery, strength and above all he was quite handsome. He was known for his mastery in the game of dice and in Asva Hridaya (the art of handling the horses). Damayanthi was the daughter of a Vidarbha king, Bhima and she was known for her beauty, brevity and wit. She was so beautiful that even the gods love to descend upon earth to take her hand for marriage.

One day the king Nala happened to see a ballet of golden swans in his garden and he immediately ran and caught one of them. It was a surprise! The swan began talking in human voice- ‘Oh king, do not kill me. I shall meet the most beautiful lady on this planet, Damayanthi and describe your handsomeness, resplendence, and augustness and make her fall in love with you’. Nala immediately released the swan and it flew and reached the garden of Damayanthi. Damayanthi saw the swan and took it upon her tender hand. ‘Oh, queen! You are so beautiful. But the beauty is futile in the absence of the most handsome man, Nala who is the very incarnation of Manmatha. We have never seen such a lustrous king upon earth. You are worthy to be his queen’. Damayanthi heard about Nala earlier and now the hearings were vetted by the sweet talk of the swan.

Even without seeing at least once, Nala and Damayanthi fell in love with each other. Damayanthi had no sleep, no appetite and her mind could not concentrate on anything. Bhima could understand the romantic pain (viraha vedana) of his daughter and he decided to announce the svayamvaram of Damayanthi.

The announcement of Damayanthi svayamvaram made ripples in all capitals of kings of the day and all roads were leading to Vidarbha, the capital of Bhima. The message reached the court of Indra through the sage Narada. The gods had already heard about the celestial beauty of the damsel, Damayanthi. The Lod Indra, Agni, Varuna and Yama wanted to try their luck in the court of Bhima.

The gods saw Nala going to the capital of Bhima for the svayamvaram. They were awestruck at his amazing majesty and lost all their confidence of winning Damayanthi’s mind since no lady can refuse once she just stares at Nala. They descended upon the earth and introduced themselves with Nala. Nala was pleased to see the very gods at his place and he bowed his head and asked what he could do for them. He was prepared to do anything for their sake. The gods requested Nala to be their envoy and asked his favor in arranging Damanthi marrying any one of them.

How can a man act as an envoy when he is also coveting the same lady? But he had already promised, and he could not refuse now. He reached the palace of Damayanthi. He saw the beautiful PADMINI[iii] lady whose beauty just denigrates the very pleasant moon. It was a feast for the eyes, but he restrained his senses and told, ‘Oh lady, I am the king, Nala. I have come here as am emissary of the gods. Indra, Agni, Vaaruna and Yama are coveting you and you marry any one of them’.

Damayanthi was intelligent enough to understand the mind of Nala. ‘Oh Maharaj! I have fallen in love with you. This svayamvaram is arranged just for you. Without you the very purpose of my life is futile and insipid’. Nala was awestruck. ‘When the gods covet you, how can you refuse and marry a mortal human like me? By marrying you, I cannot deviate the path of dharma. Now I am just an emissary of the Gods’.  Damayanthi was firm in her mind. ‘Oh king! Please tell the gods that I shall put the garland upon you only. By this you are not deviating the path of dharma. As promised to gods you have stood on your words and conveyed their message. Let them also come to the court and I will be marrying you only. Kindly convey the same message to gods.’

On the appointed day all the kings were seated in their respective seats and Damayanthi was introduced to the kings one after another. Damayanthi could able to see five people with same features of king Nala seated at one single row. She was confused as to how she could identify the gods.  Bowing her head, she told, ‘Oh gods! I love king Nala the day I heard about him from the golden swan. There is no place in my heart for anybody. If this is true, kindly bestow the true king to me. Let you all don your original postures and bless me’. The gods were pleased at her sincere love and paved way for easy identification. Damayanthi saw four prominent features associated with gods in four people- without any blink in the eyes, without sweat on faces, feet untouched to the ground and unblemished garlands in the necks. She saluted the gods and put the garland over the neck of Nala. All the gods blessed the couple and left the place.

Intrusion of Kali

Kali (कलि)[iv] was late to the svayamvaram and he saw the gods returning from the function. He learnt from gods that the event was over and Damayanthi married a mortal human overlooking the claims of the gods. He was quite angry. Despite the gods telling that Damayanthi married Nala upon their blessings, he refused to listen and wanted to teach Nala a lesson. He wanted to destroy his personal and family life. He spoke to his associate Dvāpara (द्वापर) to assist him in destroying the life of Nala.

Kali wanted to enter the body of king Nala but he was unable to do so as the king was the personification of all virtues- truthful, pious, empathetic, forgiving, and always indulging in tapas, yagnas and the like. For twelve long years he waited and in the meanwhile the couple (Nala and Damayanthi) was blessed with two children.

After twelve years, one day Nala, after urination, entered his house and without washing his feet sat for prayers. Kali saw the impurity and just entered his body and started playing with his brain. On the advice of Kali, Nala’s brother Pushkara invited his brother for a game of dice. The effect of Kali was preposterous. Nala could not come out of the game despite being defeated game after game. The sober words of Damayanthi and the ministers fell on his deaf years. He lost everything including his kingdom and only Damayanthi was left out. दमयन्त्या; पणः साधु वर्ततां यदि मन्यसे [v]- Vana Parva 61.3 (If you intend to put Damayanthi for a bet, play the game). Nala was annoyed but restrained his anger. He walked out of the game with just the clothes worn upon his body. Sensing trouble, Damayanthi had sent her children to her father’s place by that time. Pushkara served orders that anyone who talks with Nala would get capital punishment and no one dared to violate the orders of the new king.

Nala and Damayanthi entered forests in search of food. One day he saw a few birds perching on a branch of a tree. Unable to control hunger, Nala removed his dhoti and flew it in order to catch them. The birds were none other than the dice. They lifted the dhothi and laughed at the disrobed Nala. Nala wept bitterly at his own pathetic plight and asked Damayanthi to go to her choice of place – either to her father’s place or any other place. How can a pious wife leave her husband in the pitiable and pathetic condition? She told,

न च भार्या समं किंचिद्विद्यते भिषजां मतम् |

औषधं सर्व दुःखेषु सत्यमेतद्ब्रवीमिते ||[vi] – Vana Parva 61.29

(Oh king, the bhishaks or doctors opine that in all adversities there is nothing soothing than the wife. In all difficulties her words are the medicine). Why are you advising me to leave you in this condition? If you agree, let us go together to my father’s house. But the king was not willing to go the parents’ house of Damayanthi. He promised her that he would not leave her in any circumstance.

Then they moved to a secluded place in the forest and slept. Nala could not get sleep. What was he once upon a time and what is he now? The fate had changed his destiny from bad to worse. He was sleeping on the floor without a cloth and without food. He wept bitterly and under Kali’s influence he had forgotten his promise to Damayanthi and decided to leave the place. He cut the sari of his wife for his loin cloth and left Damayanthi while she was sleeping. He thought that by staying with him her sorrows would multiply; and in his absence she would go to her father’s place. He would go for some distance and come again to see her and again go away. What if she was troubled by wild animals and men? ‘Oh, my dear wife! You follow the path of dharma. The Adityas, Vasus, Rudras, Aswin devatas and Marut ganas shall protect you’. He was totally under the control of Kali and with wavering mind, he left ultimately.

Damayanthi woke up in the dead of the night. Her sari was half torn and her husband had left her. The forlorn and forsaken lady cried aloud, wept bitter and looked around only to see the staring darkness. ‘How can Nala forsake me and deviate the path of dharma? Did he not promise me to stay lifelong on the eve of marriage?’. But whom can she argue with? Surrounded with fear and uncertainty all around, she roamed the forest like a lame duck.

Troubles come in battalions. There was a huge python which spotted Damayanthi as its prey. It gulped her and Damayanthi cried aloud for help. Suddenly she saw a hunter who was running towards her. In no time, he took out a sharp sword and pierced the python into pieces. Damayanthi was saved from the python and she narrated her entire story to the hunter. He appeared good for a few minutes, but he could not restrain the senses and could not sustain the beauty of Damayanthi clad with a half sari. When Damayanthi could not prevent the advances of the hunter with words, she burst with anger and cursed the hunter. ‘If in my mind there is only Nala and no one else, this hunter be consigned to flames’. In no time he was caught in the flames and turned into ashes.

Damayanthi roamed and roamed calling aloud her husband. ‘You are a man who is well versed in four Vedas. You are the person who always tread on the path of Truth. Have you removed Damayanthi from your memory lane? Why have you not protected me from the pangs of the python?’, Damayanthi’s cries were merging into wilderness. Ultimately, she met a horde of traders moving in the forest. She narrated her entire story and asked if they had seen the king Nala. Then she moved along with them and reached a riverbed where all tired traders retired to rest. On the night a herd of wild elephants invaded the traders’ tents and destroyed their entire property. A few were smothered to dust under the feet of the elephants. What a bad luck? The traders started the bad luck for the presence of a lady, Damayanthi and started chasing her with stones and sticks.

Damayanthi escaped from their onslaught and with the help of a few good traders, she reached the kingdom of Chedi. Her hair was unplaited, and the sari was clouded with dust. When she was seen on the streets, people surrounded her thinking that she was mad. The mother of the king, Subahu saw her on the street and sent word to bring her to her chamber.

Damayanthi was weeping bitterly. ‘Oh queen! I am an ordinary lady and always follow the path of my husband. I belong to the community of ‘Sairandhris’. My husband is the personification of all virtues. Unfortunately, he was forced to play the game of dice and he had lost all his wealth and property. We had to leave our place with bare hands. Unable to quench thirst and hunger, my husband hurled his dhoti to catch birds and thus lost it. He cut my sari for loin cloth and left me in the dead of the night; and I have been searching for him’.

The queen heard everything, consoled her and asked her to stay in the palace till her husband could be traced. Damayanthi told, ‘Oh queen! I don’t eat the spittle food, nor I perform puja to anybody’s feet, and I do not talk to any man. If any man aspires me, you should punish him. You should arrange people to search for my husband. If you agree for these conditions, I can stay in your house’. The queen agreed and assigned the Sairandhri to her daughter.

---------TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT EPISODE- 46

Footnotes

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[i] The Story is taken from Maha Bharata written by sage Ved Vyasa.

[ii] Madhuparka is a mixture of curd, ghee, water, honey and sugar.

[iii] In Indian classical texts, there are eight variety of ladies and PADMINI lady is supposed to be the personification of all virtues and feminine features.

[iv] Kali is also called as Kali Purusha who is the reigning deity (demon?) of Kali Yuga. He is the archrival of Kalki (कल्कि) the tenth incarnation of Vishnu.

[v] damayantyā; paṇaḥ sādhu vartatāṃ yadi manyase- Vana Parva 61.3

[vi] न च भार्या समं किंचिद्विद्यते भिषजां मतम् |

औषधं सर्व दुःखेषु सत्यमेतद्ब्रवीमिते || - Vana Parva 61.29

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