नैषधीयचरितम् — विंशः सर्गः

सौधाद्रिकुट्टिमानेकधातुकाधित्यकातटम् ।
स प्राप रथपाथोभृद्वातजातजवो दिवः ॥

Summary AI He, whose speed was born from the wind of the cloud-like chariot, reached from the sky the region of the plateau of the palace-mountain, which was like a pavement made of many minerals.

२०.२

ततः प्रत्युदगाद्भैमी कान्तमायान्तमन्तिकम् ।
प्रतीचीसिन्धुवीचीव दिन्ॐकारे सुधाकरम् ॥

Summary AI Then, Damayanti went forward to receive her beloved who was approaching, just as a wave of the western ocean rises to meet the moon at the end of the day.

२०.३

स दूरमादरं तस्या वदने मदनैकदृक् ।
दृष्टमन्दाकिनीहेमारविन्दश्रीरविन्दत ॥

Summary AI He, whose sole vision was fixed on love, found great delight in her face, perceiving in it the beauty of a golden lotus seen in the Mandakini river.

२०.४

तेन स्वर्देशसंदेशमर्षितं सा करोदरे ।
बभ्राजे बिभ्रती पद्मं पद्मेवोन्निद्रपद्मदृक् ॥

Summary AI She, with eyes like blooming lotuses, shone like the goddess Lakshmi herself, holding in the cup of her hand the lotus—a message from the celestial regions—offered by him.

२०.५

प्रियेणाल्पमपि प्रत्तं बहु मेनेतरामसौ ।
एकलक्षतया दध्यौ यत्तमेकवराटकम् ॥

Summary AI She considered even a small thing given by her beloved to be very great. Because of her single-minded focus, she meditated upon it as if it were a single cowrie shell (i.e., a priceless treasure).

२०.६

प्रेयसावादि सा तन्वि त्वदालिङ्गनविघ्नकृत् ।
समाप्यतां विधिः शेषः क्लेशश्चेतसि चेन्न ते ॥

Summary AI She was addressed by her beloved: "O slender one, if there is no distress in your mind, let the remaining ritual, which is an obstacle to our embrace, be completed."

२०.७

क्वैतावान्नर्ममर्माविद्विद्यते विधिरद्य ते ।
इति तं मनसा रोषादवोचद्वचसा न सा ॥

Summary AI "O you who are ignorant of the heart of jesting, where is there such a great ritual for you today?" Thus she spoke to him with her mind in anger, but not with her words.

२०.८

क्षणविच्छेदकादेव विधेर्मुग्धे विरज्यसि ।
विच्छेत्ता न चिरं त्वेति हृदाह स्म तदा कलिः ॥

Summary AI At that moment, Kali said in his heart, "O naive one, you are averse to a ritual that causes separation for just a moment. I, however, will be the one to separate you for a long time."

२०.९

सावज्ञेवाथ सा राज्ञः सखीं पद्ममुखीमगात् ।
लक्ष्मीः कुमुदकेदारादारादम्भोजिनीमिव ॥

Summary AI Then, as if with contempt for the king, she went to her lotus-faced friend, just as the goddess Lakshmi moves from a field of water-lilies to a nearby lotus pond.

२०.१०

ममासावपि मा संभूत्कलिद्वापरवत्परः ।
इतीव नित्यसत्रेतां स त्रेतां पर्यतूतुषत् ॥

Summary AI As if thinking, "Let this one not become hostile to me like Kali and Dvapara," he (Nala) greatly pleased this Treta (Damayanti, who is like the Treta yuga), who was like a perpetual sacrifice.

२०.११

क्रियां प्राह्णेतनीं कृत्वा निषेधन्पाणिना सखीम् ।
कराभ्यां पृष्ठगस्तस्या न्यमिमीलदसौ दृशौ ॥

Summary AI Having performed the morning rites, he, coming from behind and stopping her friend with his hand, covered her (Damayanti's) two eyes with his hands.

२०.१२

दमयन्त्या वयस्याभिः सहास्याभिः समीक्षितः ।
प्रसृतिभ्यामिवायामं मापयन्प्रेयसीदृशोः ॥

Summary AI He was watched by Damayanti's smiling friends, as he seemed to be measuring the length of his beloved's eyes with his two outstretched hands.

२०.१३

तर्कितालि त्वमित्यर्धवाणीका पाणिमोचनात् ।
ज्ञातस्पर्शान्तरा मौनमानशे मानसेविनी ॥

Summary AI Having guessed, "Friend, it is you," and spoken only these half-words, she, resorting to a lover's pique, fell silent upon the release of his hands, having recognized the different touch.

२०.१४

सावादि सुतनुस्तेन कोपस्ते नायमौचिती ।
त्वां प्रापं यत्प्रसादेन प्रिये तन्नाद्रिये तपः ॥

Summary AI Nala said to the beautiful one, "O beloved, this anger of yours is not proper. I do not value that penance by the grace of which I obtained you."

२०.१५

निशि दास्यं गतोऽपि त्वां स्नात्वा यन्नाभ्यवीवदम् ।
तं प्रवृत्तासि मन्तुं चेन्मन्तुं तद्वद वन्द्यसे ॥

Summary AI "If you have started to be angry about the fact that, although I became your servant at night, I did not greet you after bathing, then tell me. You are to be revered for your anger."

२०.१६

इत्येतस्याः पदासत्त्यै पत्यैष प्रेरितौ करौ ।
रुद्ध्वा सकोपं सातङ्कं तं कटाक्षैरमूमुहत् ॥

Summary AI In response, as her husband extended his hands to fall at her feet, she blocked them and, with angry and anxious side-glances, bewildered him.

२०.१७

अवोचत ततस्तन्वीं निषधानामधीश्वरः ।
तदपाङ्गचलत्तारझलत्कारवशीकृतः ॥

Summary AI Then, the lord of the Nishadhas, captivated by the flashing glitter of the moving pupils in the corners of her eyes, spoke to the slender lady.

२०.१८

कटाक्षकपटारब्धदूरलङ्घनरंहसा ।
दृशा भीत्या निवृत्तं ते कर्णकूपं निरूप्य किम् ॥

Summary AI Nala says, "What can I say, seeing your eye? With the speed of a far leap begun under the pretext of a side-glance, it seems to have turned back from the cavity of your ear out of fear."

२०.१९

सरोषापि सरोजाक्षि त्वमुदेषि मुदे मम ।
तप्तापि शतपत्रस्य सौरभायैव सौरभा ॥

Summary AI "O lotus-eyed one, even when you are angry, you bring me joy. Just as the fragrance of a lotus, even when heated by the sun, only serves to enhance its scent."

२०.२०

छेत्तुमिन्दौ भवद्वक्त्रबिम्बविभ्रमविभ्रमम् ।
शङ्के शशाङ्कमानङ्के भिन्नभिन्नविधिर्विधिः ॥

Summary AI "I suspect that in order to dispel the delusion that the moon possesses the charm of your face's orb, the Creator, whose methods are varied, placed the mark (the hare) in its lap."

२०.२१

ताम्रपर्णीतटोत्पन्नैर्मौक्तिकैरिन्दुकुक्षिजैः ।
बद्धस्पर्धतरा वर्णाः प्रसन्नाः स्वादवस्तव ॥

Summary AI "Your clear and sweet syllables are even more competitive in beauty than pearls born on the banks of the Tamraparni river and those born from the moon (i.e., solidified raindrops)."

२०.२२

त्वद्गिरः क्षीरपाथोधेः सुधयैव सहोत्थिताः ।
अद्ययावदहो धावद्दुग्धलेपलवस्मिताः ॥

Summary AI "Oh! I believe your words arose from the milky ocean along with the nectar, because even to this day they seem to smile with particles of fresh, flowing milk smeared on them."

२०.२३

पूर्वपर्वतमाश्लिष्टचन्द्रिकश्चन्द्रमा इव ।
अलंचक्रे स पर्यङ्कमङ्कसंक्रमिताप्रियः ॥

Summary AI He (Nala), with his beloved transferred to his lap, adorned the couch, just as the moon, with its moonlight clinging to it, adorns the eastern mountain.

२०.२४

प्रावृडारम्भणाम्भोदः स्निग्धां द्यामिव स प्रियाम् ।
परिरभ्य चिरायास विश्लेषायासमुक्तये ॥

Summary AI To get relief from the long and fatiguing pain of separation, he embraced his beloved, just as a cloud at the beginning of the monsoon embraces the glossy sky.

२०.२५

चुचुम्बास्यमसौ तस्या रसमग्नः श्रितस्मितम् ।
नभोमणिरिवाम्भोजं मधुमध्यानुबिम्बितः ॥

Summary AI That Nala, immersed in sentiment, kissed her smiling face, just as the sun, reflected in the middle of the honey (of the flower), kisses the lotus.

२०.२६

अथाहूय कलां नाम पाणिना स प्रियासखीम् ।
पुरस्ताद्वेशितामूचे कर्तुं नर्मणि साक्षिणीम् ॥

Summary AI Then, he (Nala), beckoning with his hand his beloved's friend named Kalā, made her sit before them to make her a witness in their pleasantry, and spoke.

२०.२७

कस्मादस्माकमब्जास्य वयस्या दयते न ते ।
आसक्ता भवतीष्वन्यं मन्ये न बहु मन्यते ॥

Summary AI Nala says to Kalā, "O lotus-faced one, why does your friend (Damayanti) not take pity on me? I think that, being so attached to you ladies, she does not think much of anyone else (like me)."

२०.२८

अन्वग्राहि मया प्रेयान्निशि स्वोपनयादिति ।
न विप्रलभते तावदालीरियमलीकवाक् ॥

Summary AI "Does this one (Damayanti), with her false words, not deceive her friends by saying, 'At night, my beloved was favored by me through my own offering (of myself)'?"

२०.२९

आह स्मैषा नलादन्यं न जुषे मनसेति यत् ।
यौवनानुमितेनास्यास्तन्मृषाभून्मनोभुवा ॥

Summary AI "That which she used to say, 'I will not love anyone other than Nala even in my mind,' has been proven false by the God of Love, whose presence is inferred from her youth."

२०.३०

आस्यसौन्दर्यमेतस्याः शृणुमो यदि भाषसे ।
तद्धि लज्जानमन्मौलेः परोक्षमधुनापि नः ॥

Summary AI Nala says to Kalā, "If you speak of it, we might hear about the beauty of her face. For, since her head is bent down with shyness, that beauty is still unseen by us even now."

२०.३१

पूर्णयैव द्विलोचन्या सैषालीरवलोकते ।
द्राग्दृगन्ताणुना मां तु मन्तुमन्तमिवेक्षते ॥

Summary AI "This lady looks at her friends with both eyes fully open, but she glances at me with just a tiny corner of her eye, as if I were an offender."

२०.३२

न लोकते यथेदानीं मामियं तेन कल्पये ।
योऽहं दूत्येऽनया दृष्टः सोऽपि व्यस्मारिषीडृशा ॥

Summary AI "From the way this lady doesn't look at me now, I imagine that even I, who was seen by her during my time as a messenger, have been forgotten by her due to such behavior."

२०.३३

रागं दर्शयते सैषा वयस्याः सूनृतामृतैः ।
मम त्वमिति वक्तुं मां मौनिनी मानिनी पुनः ॥

Summary AI "This proud lady shows her affection to her friends with nectar-like sweet words. But when it comes to addressing me as 'mine', she becomes silent."

२०.३४

कां नामन्त्रयते नाम नामग्राहमियं सखीम् ।
कले नलेति नास्माकीं स्पृशत्याह्वां न जिह्वया ॥

Summary AI Nala playfully asks Damayanti's friend, Kala, "Which friend does she not address by name? Yet, she doesn't touch our names, 'Kala' and 'Nala', with her tongue." He implies Damayanti is too shy to say his name, cleverly including the friend's name in the pun.

२०.३५

अस्याः पीनस्तनव्याप्ते हृदयेऽस्मासु निर्दये ।
अवकाशलवोऽप्यस्ति नात्र कुत्र बिभर्तु नः ॥

Summary AI Nala continues his jest, "In her heart, which is completely occupied by her full breasts and is cruel towards us, there isn't even a tiny bit of space. If not in her heart, where can she possibly hold us (her friends)?"

२०.३६

अधिगत्येदृगेतस्या हृदयं मृदुतामुचोः ।
प्रतीम एव वैमुख्यं कुचयोर्युक्तवृत्तयोः ॥

Summary AI Nala says, "Having understood her heart to be so hard, we now understand the aversion of her breasts, which have abandoned softness and are perfectly round and firm." He uses a pun on 'yukta-vritta,' meaning both 'well-behaved' and 'perfectly round,' to describe their firmness.

२०.३७

इति मुद्रितकण्ठेऽस्मिन्सोल्लुण्ठमभिधाय ताम् ।
दमयन्तीमुखाधीतस्मितयाऽसौ तया जगे ॥

Summary AI After Nala said this and fell silent, Damayanti's friend, Kala, whose smile was learned from Damayanti's own face, addressed him sarcastically and began to speak.

२०.३८

भावितेयं त्वया साधु नवरागा खलु त्वयि ।
चिरंतनानुरागार्हं वर्तते नः सखीः प्रति ॥

Summary AI Kala replies to Nala, "You have understood her well. Indeed, her love for you is new. Towards us, her friends, she behaves in a manner befitting her long-standing affection, which is why she seems different with you."

२०.३९

स्मरशास्त्रविदा सेयं नवोढा नस्त्वया सखी ।
कथं संभुज्यते बाला कथम्स्मासु भाषताम् ॥

Summary AI Kala teases, "By you, an expert in the science of love, how is this newly-wedded young friend of ours being enjoyed? How can she possibly find the time or energy to speak to us?" This implies Nala keeps Damayanti so occupied with love that she neglects her friends.

२०.४०

नासत्यवदनं देव त्वां गायन्ति जगन्ति यम् ।
प्रिया तस्य सरूपा स्यादन्यथालपना न ते ॥

Summary AI Kala continues, "O Lord, the worlds sing of you as one who never speaks untruth. Your beloved should be a reflection of you, not one who speaks otherwise." She subtly suggests that Damayanti's silence or evasiveness is contrary to her true feelings, which must align with Nala's truthful nature.

२०.४१

मनोभूरस्ति चित्तेऽस्याः किंतु देव त्वमेव सः ।
त्वदवस्थितिभूर्यस्मान्मनः सख्या दिवानिशम् ॥

Summary AI "O Lord, the love-god (Manobhu, 'mind-born') is indeed in her heart, but that god is you yourself. This is because, day and night, my friend's mind is the very ground of your existence; you are constantly born from her thoughts of you."

२०.४२

सतस्तेऽथ सखीचित्ते प्रतिच्छाया स मन्मथः ।
त्वयास्य समरूपत्वमतनोरन्यथा कथम् ॥

Summary AI "Or perhaps, that Manmatha (love-god) is merely the reflection of you existing in our friend's heart. Otherwise, how could the bodiless one (Atanu, an epithet of Manmatha) have the exact same form as you?"

२०.४३

कः स्मरः कस्त्वमत्रेति संदेहे शोभयोभयोः ।
त्वय्येवार्थितया सेयं धत्ते चित्तेऽथवा युवाम् ॥

Summary AI "Due to the doubt arising from the similar beauty of both—'Who here is Smara, and who are you?'—this Damayanti, out of desire, places her heart on you alone. Or perhaps, unable to distinguish, she holds both of you in her heart."

२०.४४

त्वयि न्यस्तस्य चित्तस्य दुराकर्षत्वदर्शनात् ।
शङ्कया पङ्कजाक्षी त्वां दृगंशेन स्पृशत्यसौ ॥

Summary AI "Seeing how difficult it is to draw back her heart once it is placed on you, this lotus-eyed lady touches you only with a part of her glance, out of fear that if she were to look at you fully, her heart would be completely and irrevocably lost."

२०.४५

विलोकनात्प्रभृत्यस्या लग्न एवासि चक्षुषोः ।
स्वेनालोकय शङ्का चेत्प्रत्ययः परवाचि कः ॥

Summary AI "Ever since she first saw you, you have been stuck in her eyes. If you have any doubt, look for yourself in her eyes. What faith can be placed in another's words when you can see the proof yourself?"

२०.४६

परीरम्भेऽनयारभ्य कुचकुङ्कुमसंक्रमम् ।
त्वयि मे हृदयस्यैवं राग इत्युदितैव वाक् ॥

Summary AI "By transferring the red saffron from her breasts onto your chest during an embrace, she has already spoken these words without speaking: 'Such is the color (rāga) of my heart for you,' equating the color of the saffron with the passion (rāga) of her love."

२०.४७

मनसायं भवन्नामकामसूक्तजपव्रती ।
अक्षसूत्रं सखीकण्ठश्चुम्बत्येकावलिच्छलात् ॥

Summary AI Kala turns the teasing back to Nala: "You, who are mentally devoted to chanting the love-hymn of her name, are kissing her neck—which serves as your rosary—under the pretext of kissing her pearl necklace."

२०.४८

अध्यासिते वयस्याया भवता महता हृदि ।
स्तनावन्तरसंमान्तौ निष्क्रान्तौ ब्रूमहे बहिः ॥

Summary AI "Since her vast heart is completely occupied by you, we say that her two breasts, unable to find space inside, have been pushed out." This is a poetic and playful exaggeration to describe how much Nala fills Damayanti's heart.

२०.४९

कुचौ दोषोज्झितावस्याः पीडितौ व्रणितौ त्वया ।
कथं दर्शयतामास्यं बृहन्तावावृतौ ह्रिया ॥

Summary AI "Her flawless, large breasts have been pressed and wounded by you in your passion. Now, covered by shyness (from the love-bites), how can they possibly show their faces (tips)?" This is a playful accusation about Nala's passionate lovemaking.

२०.५०

इत्यसौ कलया सूक्तैः सिक्तः पीयूषवर्षिभिः ।
ईदृगेवेति पप्रच्छ प्रियामुन्नमिताननाम् ॥

Summary AI Thus sprinkled by the nectar-showering excellent words of Kala, Nala lifted his beloved's face and asked her, "Is it really so?" seeking confirmation of her friend's playful revelations.

Other texts to read

महाभारतम् वेदव्यासः

शिशुपालवधम् माघः

About

Resources