|| Stories from Indian Mythology – 3 ||
Nala was a righteous king, who ruled the kingdom of Nishadha. He was handsome, brave and honourable and he ruled his subjects well.
Damayanti, the daughter of Bhima and princess of Vidarbha, is said to be equally gifted. In fact, she was said to be so beautiful that many Gods and demons also wanted to marry her.
Nala came to know about princess Damayanti through a traveller. The traveller sang so many praises of the beautiful and capable princess that Nala fell in love with her without even seeing her.
One day while hunting, Nala happens to catch a golden swan, which begs him to be released. Nala, being a just man, releases the swan but requests the swan to describe Nala favourably to Damayanti.
So the swan flies to Vidarbha and describes him to Damayanti. The swan mentions that Nala is brave and kind king, who also happens to be an expert charioteer and a talented cook. She falls in love with him too without seeing him.
When the Gods come to know about this, they feel jealous of Nala.
Days pass and the Swamyamvar of princess Damayanti is announced. The Gods who wanted Damayanti for a wife, all came in the disguise of Nala. Nala himself showed up for the Swayamwar, hoping to win her hand.
Damayanti, who wanted to marry only King Nala is surprised to see so many looking like him and is unsure who the right one is. Nala, being righteous, did not want to speak up and cause embarrassment to the Gods.
Damayanti walks to the center of the great hall and humbly appeals to the multiple Nalas before her, requesting that they come out of their disguise.
When no one comes forward, she decides to find out the real Nala by herself.
She walks to a God impersonating Nala and bows to him. This she repeats with all of the suitors. When she reaches the real Nala, she bows to him and adornes him with a garland. The princess has chosen.
Damayanti and the real King Nala are married. Later when Nala asks her how she identified him, she says, “My King, when I was bowing to everyone, I was actually observing their shadow. Gods, demons and other celestials do not have shadows”
Damayanti and Nala lived happily for a while and had a son named Indrasena. All this made one particular demon, Kali (from Kali yuga), jealous and he resolved to disturb the harmony between the couple.
Nala had one weakness, the game of dice. When his brother Pushkar challenges him to a game of dice where the winner gets the whole kingdom, Nala could not resist. Kali sees this opportunity and casts a spell on Nala that makes him reckless. He plays and loses the game to a shrewd Pushkar.
When Damayanti saw that Nala was going to lose, she acts swiftly and sends off her son on a chariot to her father’s kingdom to ensure his safety.
After losing his kingdom, Pushkar extracts a promise from Nala that he would leave his wife too. Nala, still under Kali’s spell, leaves Damayanti and wanders off into the forest. A heart-broken Damayanti finds refuge in another kingdom nearby.
Demon Kali, happy at the outcome, leaves Nala to his fate in the forest. In the forest, Nala saves a serpent from fire. In return, the serpent transforms him into an unrecognizable dwarf. The serpent also gives a magic cloth and explains that this transformation was for his own good, so that Kali does not torment him further.
Nala, under a new identity of the dwarf , starts working as a personal chef and charioteer to the King of Ayodhya, Rituparna.
Meanwhile Damayanti reaches her father’s kingdom and continues searching for her husband. She comes with an idea to locate him. She arranges for another Swayamvar to be held. The Swayamwar is again attended by many kings, Gods and demons.
Damayanti sits by the window listening to the pattern of hoof beats of the carriages. She recognizes the pattern of the chariot driven by Nala and enquires more. She comes to know that king Rituparna has refused the hospitality of Vidarbha and is instead eating what his charioteer cooked.
She asks her maid to steal some food. She eats it and becomes sure that the charioteer is Nala, even though, for some reason, he looks different.
As he was a man of his word, Nala could not reveal himself due to promise given to Pushkar, even though it was unlawful.
Damayanti summons the charioteer and asks him, “Tell me, why does a husband abandon his loving wife and lives elsewhere in disguise”. He answers in tears, “Maybe he is ashamed of losing his kingdom and putting his loving wife through hardships. Maybe it is his punishment” Damayanti then reveals that she knows he was her husband.
Nala uses the magic cloth and transforms back to his own self. The couple are finally united again due to the loyalty and presence of mind of the strong-willed Damayanti.
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