Nala and Damayantí
A Noble Prince and Fair Princess—Swan Messengers of Love—A
Royal Romance—The Love-sick Maiden—Indra and the Rishis—The
Swayamvara—Gods Descend from Heaven—Nala's Mission—Interview with
Damayantí—A Faithful Lover—Gathering of Rajahs—Gods Rejected by
Damayantí—The Choice of Nala—Wedding Gifts of the Gods—The Royal
Marriage—Kali the Demon—Plot to Ruin Nala.
Once upon a time there reigned in Nishadha[292] a great rajah of
choicest virtues whose name was Nala. He had great skill in taming
steeds; he was a peerless archer, and was devoted to truth. Nala
commanded a mighty army: like to the sun was his splendour, and he
was exalted over all other kings as is the monarch of the gods. He
had withal great piety, and he was deeply read in the Vedas, but he
was ever a passionate lover of dice. Many a high-born lady spoke his
praises, for he was generous of heart, and self-controlled, and the
guardian of law. Indeed, Nala was a very present Manu.[293]
[292] The south-eastern division of Central India.
[293] An incarnation of Manu, the first lawgiver.
Now there ruled over the neighbouring state of Vidarbha the mighty
rajah Bhíma, the terrible in strength, who was likewise of choicest
virtues. He was childless, and he yearned for children. For long he
had been wont to perform many holy deeds intent upon offspring, but
without avail.[294] It chanced, however, that one day there came to
his court a Bráhman named Damana, and hospitable welcome was accorded
him by the child-desiring Bhíma, for the seer was feasted in the hall
with the rajah and his royal consort. Thereafter a boon was conferred
upon the queen: she became the mother of one sweet girl, the pearl of
maidens, who was named Damayantí, and of three noble sons, Dama, Danta,
and the renowned Dam´ana, who all grew great and powerful.
[294] It was a religious necessity to have offspring. A son performed
the funeral rites which rescued his father's soul from hell.
When fair Damayantí had attained the full bloom of her beauty, she was
unequalled throughout the world for her brilliance and for her grace.
Upon the faultless and slender-waisted maiden there waited, as about
Indra's queen, a hundred female slaves and a hundred virgin handmaids,
and she shone among them, decked with jewels and rich ornaments, like
to the goddess of beauty, unrivalled and without a peer. Never among
the gods, or the Yakshas, or among mortal men was a maiden more fair
ever heard of or ever beheld than soul-disturbing Damayantí, who
disturbed the souls of the gods.
In presence of Bhima's sweet daughter the high-born ladies of Vidarbha
took joy in constantly praising Nala, that tiger among rajahs. Likewise
before Nishadha's king was Damayantí ever extolled because of her
beauty. So it fell that, hearing much of each other's virtues, the
silent passion of love was nurtured in both their hearts.
Impatient grew Nala as his love increased, and he was wont to wander
in a grove within his palace garden musing secretly upon the maiden
of faultless form. One day he saw disporting in the grounds a flock
of beautiful swans with wings all flecked with gold. The rajah crept
forward softly and seized one, and much he marvelled to hear it cry
out in human language.
“Slay me not, O gentle king, and to thee I will render a service, for
I will praise thee in the presence of Damayantí so that ever after she
shall think of no other mortal man but thee.”
Immediately Nala set the bird at liberty, and it flew away rejoicing
with its bright companions towards Vidarbha. When they reached the
ladies' garden of Bhima's palace they settled down at the feet of
Damayantí, who was reposing in the shade with her virgin handmaids.
All the fair young women gazed in wonder on the swans, admiring their
graceful forms and their plumage gleaming with gold, and ere long they
began to pursue them among the trees. Then of a sudden the bird which
Damayantí followed spoke to her in human language and said:
“Damayantí, hear! The noble king Nala dwells in Nishadha. Comely is he
as a god, nor can his equal be found in the world. Thou art the pearl
of women, and he is the pride of men. If thou wert wed to him, then
would perfect beauty and noble birth be united. Blessed indeed would be
the union of the peerless with the peerless.”
Wondering, the maiden listened while the bird conversed thus strangely,
and then she said: “Speak also unto Nala in this manner.”
The swan made answer: “So be it,” and thereupon took flight with the
others to Nishadha, where it related unto Nala all that had taken
place.
[Illustration: DAMAYANTI AND THE SWAN
_From the painting by Warwick Goble_
6]
Ever after that day Damayantí ceased to live for herself alone; all
her thoughts were given up to Nala. She desired most to sit apart in
silent reverie; the bloom faded from her cheeks, and she grew dejected
and melancholy. Indeed, the maiden yielded up her soul to sorrow, and
much she sighed in secret, gazing upward and meditating, for love had
taken possession of her heart; nor did she find pleasure in sleep, or
in gentle converse, or in merry banquets. In the midst of her broken
slumbers she was wont to weep and cry out: “Oh, woe is me!”
The virgin handmaidens read her heart, and they went before her sire
and told that his gentle daughter was pining for the monarch among
men. When Bhima heard this, he pondered deeply what should be done for
Damayantí, and he perceived that her time for the swayamvara[295] had
come. So he summoned all the high-born rajahs upon earth, saying: “O
heroes of the world, come ye to the swayamvara.”
[295] The ceremony at which a princess made public choice of a husband
from among a number of suitors gathered together.
Then did the whole land resound with the trampling of elephants and
horses and the rumbling of chariots, for the stately princes, followed
by their armies, swarmed towards the court of Bhima. By the strong lord
of Vidarbha were they welcomed with honour, and they sat upon their
thrones.
Now it happened that at this time these two wise sages, Nárada and
Párvata,[296] ascended Mount Meru to Swarga, the heaven of Indra, and
they saluted the Cloud-compeller within his palace. The immortal lord
bade them welcome, and asked how it fared with the world. Narada said
it fared well with the world and with all the mighty kings. Then Indra
spake, saying: “Where are all the royal heroes? Why do they not come
hither as my honoured guests?”[297]
[296] Two of the ten Rishis (saints) who were sons of Bráhma. Narada
was a messenger of the gods. Parvata was his great rival.
[297] Indra wonders that no battle-slain heroes are arriving at the
Indian Valhal.
The wise sage made answer and said: “O Cloud-compeller, the great
rajahs cannot appear before thee because even now they are hastening
one and all to the swayamvara of Damayantí, the renowned daughter of
Bhima, the fairest woman upon earth. O slayer of drought demons, every
king seeks to woo this maid of transcending beauty, for she is the
pearl of all the world.”
As Narada spake, the other gods drew nigh and listened to his stately
utterance. Then together they exclaimed with rapture: “We also will go
thither....” In an instant they were hastening through the air in their
chariots towards the city of Vidarbha to mingle with the wooers of
Bhima's fair daughter.
Meanwhile Nala had set forth with joy, his heart full of love for
Damayantí. The gods beheld him standing upon the surface of the earth
with radiance like to the sun, and they arrested their course, gazing
in mute wonder, for he was as comely as the god of love. Then, dropping
down through the blue air, they hailed the stately hero, saying: “Do as
we now beseech thee, O most excellent of princes; be thou the bearer of
our message.”
Nala adored the gods with folded hands and promised to obey their will,
saying humbly: “Who are ye that now command my service?”
Indra spoke and said: “Lo! we are the dread guardians of the world. I
am Indra, lord of heaven; yon is Agni, god of fire; here is Varuna,
king of the waters; and there is Yama, lord of the dead.[298] Thou must
inform Damayantí that we have come to woo her and say to her: ‘_Choose
for thine husband one of the celestial beings_’.”
[298] At the period the poem was composed there were only four
“guardians”; later there were eight.
Nala made answer with folded hands, saying: “Send me not, I entreat
thee, upon this mission. How can I who am enamoured with the maiden,
plead aright the cause of another. In mercy spare me, ye gods—spare me
this unwelcome service.”
But the gods would not be moved from their purpose. They reminded Nala
he had already promised to do their will, and they therefore urged him
to set forth without delay lest he should belie his words.
Then the lord of Nishadha pleaded: “The palace of Bhima is strongly
guarded, and I cannot enter there.”
Indra said: “Thou wilt indeed enter.”
And lo! even as the god spake, Nala found himself standing before
Damayantí in her secret bower.
The beauteous maiden was surrounded by her virgin band, and he gazed
upon her faultless limbs and slender waist and into her entrancing
eyes. Her shining beauty excelled even the tender rays of the moon. The
love of Nala grew deeper and stronger as he looked upon the smiling
princess; but he curbed his passion, remembering his mission.
All the maidens gazed with wonder and joy at the noble form, and in
their hearts they exclaimed: “Oh! the splendid one; oh! the strong and
mighty hero—who is he?... Is he god, or Yaksha, or Gandharva?” But
they spoke not a word, for they were made bashfully silent by reason of
his beauty.
Nala smiled upon Damayantí, and first she smiled softly in return; then
she exclaimed in her wonder: “Who art thou that hast come hither like a
celestial being to awaken all my love. Speak and tell, O sinless lord.
How didst thou contrive to enter the palace unseen, for surely all the
chambers are strongly guarded by stern orders of the king?”[299]
[299] Evidently the zenana system was in vogue prior to the Mohammedan
conquest.
The rajah made answer, saying: “O thou fairest one, know now that I am
even Nala, and that I come hither as the messenger of the gods Indra
and Agni, Varuna and Yama, and through their power have I entered here,
unseen nor stayed, for it is their desire that I should say unto thee:
‘_Choose, O princess, for thine husband one of the celestial beings_’.
Such is the purpose of my mission from the great world guardians.
Having heard me, thou mayst decide as thou wilt.”
Damayanti at once did homage to the gods. Then she smiled upon Nala
and spoke, saying: “Lo! I am thine already, and whatsoever I possess
is thine also. O give me thy love in return, Nala. For know that my
heart's love was increased by the endearing words of the swan, and it
is because of thee that the rajahs are all gathered here now. If thou
wilt despise me, I will suffer death for thy sake by fire, or by water,
or even by the noose[300].”
[300] Death by hanging was not regarded as a special disgrace.
The rajah made answer and said: “Wilt thou despise these, the gods,
and choose for thine husband a mortal who is more lowly than the dust
they walk upon? Let thy heart aspire to them. Remember, too, that the
man who incurs the anger of the world's dread guardians will meet with
certain death. From such a fate oh shield me, thou fairest one!... So
choose one of the perfect gods, and thou shalt have robes unsullied by
dust, garlands that never fade, and celestial joy without end.”
Trembling, and with tear-dimmed eyes, Damayantí said: “I do homage with
due humility to all the gods, but oh! I desire thee for my husband,
thee and thee only.”
But Nala spake, saying: “I am charged with the mission of the
celestial beings, and cannot plead for myself now. But afterwards
I will come to claim thee, and will speak boldly, O bright one, so
remember me in thine heart.”
The maiden smiled through her tears. “Ah!” she said, “I see now a way
of escape.... When thou comest to the swayamvara, enter thou together
with the gods, and I will name thee as mine own, so that no sin may be
charged against thee.”
Then Nala returned to the gods, who waited him eagerly, and he told
them all that the maiden had said, word for word. “In thy wisdom,” he
added, “thou wilt judge of what remains, O ye excelling gods.”
When at length the day of happy omen, the day of the swayamvara,
arrived, Bhima summoned at noontide all the love-sick rajahs, and they
passed through the court of golden columns and under the bright portal
arch, and entered the Hall of State like to lions on the mountains. The
rajahs were then seated on their thrones, adorned with garlands and
with dangling ear gems. The arms of some were robust and powerful like
the battle mace; those of others were delicate and smooth as a serpent.
With profuse and flowing hair, shapely noses, and arching eyebrows,
the faces of these great lords were radiant as the stars in heaven. As
a mountain cave is full of tigers, so was Bhima's great Hall full of
rajah tigers on that day.
When Damayantí entered in state, every eye and every soul was entranced
by her dazzling beauty; all these lords of earth gazed upon her with
unmoving eyes.... The name of each rajah was proclaimed in turn, and
Nala, looking about her, was suddenly stricken with dismay, for she
perceived that there were present five Nalas who were undistinguishable
in form and attire one from another. The four gods who desired to win
her had each assumed the likeness of her beloved one. Whichsoever of
these she gazed upon, he seemed to be her rajah, and in her secret
heart she wailed: “How can I discern Nala among the celestial beings?”
In her sore distress the trembling maiden folded her hands and did
homage before the gods, to whom she prayed, saying:
“When I heard the sweet words of the swans, I pledged my heart to
Nala. I adjure thee by this truth, O ye gods. Oh! reveal my lord.
“From my faith I have never swerved either by word or by deed. I
adjure thee by this truth, O ye all-knowing Powers. Oh! reveal my
lord.
“The gods have destined that Nala should be mine husband. I adjure
thee by this truth. Oh! reveal my lord.
“The vow which I so pledged to Nala is holy, and I must ever keep
it. I adjure thee by this truth. Oh! reveal my lord.
“O ye mighty ones, ye guardians of the world, assume now your forms
divine, so that I may know Nala, the monarch of men.”
The gods heard the sad maiden's piteous prayer and marvelled
greatly. They perceived that her resolve was firm, that she was
constant in truth and in love, and was holy and wise, and that she
remained faithful to her lord. So they revealed the tokens of their
greatness....[301] Then Damayantí was able to discern the four
celestial beings because their skins were without moisture and their
eyes never winked, there was no dust on their garlands and their feet
did not touch the earth. She also knew Nala because he cast a shadow;
there was dust on his raiment, and his garland was beginning to fade;
drops of moisture stood on his skin, and his eyelids moved.
[301] Deities cast no shadows, they never perspired, nor did their feet
touch the ground when walking. Their eyes never winked.
[Illustration: DAMAYANTI CHOOSING A HUSBAND
_From the painting by Warwick Goble_
7]
Gazing first upon the celestial beings and then upon him who was her
heart's desire, Damayantí named Nala as her lord. She modestly touched
the hem of his garment and threw round his neck a wreath of bright
flowers, and thus chose him for her husband.
All the rivals of Nala uttered cries of sorrow, but the gods and the
sages exclaimed aloud: “Well done! Well done!” and honoured the lord of
Nishadha.
Nala spake in his joy to fair Damayantí, saying: “Since thou, O maiden
with serene smile, hast chosen me for thine husband in the presence of
the gods, know that I will be a faithful consort who will ever take
delight in thy words. I am thine, and so long as my life endures I will
be thine only.”
So did the lord of Nishadha pledge his faith, and the heart of the
maiden was made glad. The happy pair then did homage before the gods,
and these resplendent guardians of the earth bestowed, in their joy,
eight surpassing gifts upon Nala. Indra gave him power to behold the
godhead in the sacrifice, and power to walk unhindered by any obstacle
wheresoever he desired; Agni gave him power over fire, and power over
the three worlds;[302] Varuna gave him power over water, and power
to obtain fresh garlands at will; and Yama gave him subtle skill in
preparing food, and eminence in every virtue. Each of the gods also
conferred his double blessing upon Nala, and thereafter they departed.
[302] Heaven, earth, and the underworld.
All the rajahs wondered greatly when they beheld the maiden's choice
confirmed in this manner, and they went away as they came, with joy,
and returned unto their own domains.
Bhima rejoiced greatly when the happy bridal was celebrated in pomp and
with state, and he bade Nala adieu with great courtesy when that great
lord of Nishadha, after fitting sojourn at Vidarbha, set out to return
to his native city with the pearl of women whom he had won.
Now it chanced that when the gods had left the swayamvara they met
in the midst of the blue air Kali[303], the demon of evil, who was
accompanied by the wicked spirit Dwápara. Indra, the slayer of giants,
spoke and said: “Whither art thou going with Dwápara, O Kali?”
[303] Dowson regards the demon Kali as the personification of the Kali
Yuga.
Kali made answer: “We are hastening to the swayamvara, for it is my
desire to obtain Damayantí as my bride.”
Smiling, the king of gods spake, saying: “The bridal is now arranged
and ended, for lo! the fair Damayantí has chosen Nala for her husband
in our presence.”
When he heard these words, the heart of Kali was made angry, and
he exclaimed: “Since she has preferred a mortal in presence of the
celestial beings, let her choice be her own doom.”
But the gods said: “Know thou that our consent was freely given,
because Damayantí has chosen for herself a husband endowed with all the
virtues, and equal even to the guardians of the world. If anyone should
chance to curse Nala, the curse will recoil fatally, and the curser
will be cast into the torments of the dark lake of hell.” Having spoken
thus, the bright deities ascended the heavens.
Then said Kali to Dwapara: “I cannot now control my fierce wrath. Lo!
I will be avenged upon Nala, for I will enter his body, and he will be
bereft of his kingdom and of his bride. Thou, Dwapara, wilt enter the
dice and give me thine aid.”
So was a malignant compact arranged between the demon of evil and his
darksome ally, and together they went towards Nishadha to haunt the
stately palace of Nala, waiting for the fatal moment.