"Vrihadaswa said, 'There was a king named Nala, the son of Virasena. And
he was strong, and handsome, and well-versed in (the knowledge of)
horses, and possessed of every desirable accomplishment. And he was at
the head of all the kings, even like the lord of the celestials. And
exalted over all, he resembled the sun in glory. And he was the king of
the Nishadhas, intent on the welfare of the Brahmanas, versed in the
Vedas, and possessed of heroism. And he was truth-telling, fond of dice,
and the master of a mighty army. And he was the beloved of men and
women, and of great soul and subdued passions. And he was the protector
(of all), and the foremost of bowmen, and like unto Manu himself. And
like him, there was among the Vidarbhas (a king named) Bhima, of
terrible prowess, heroic and well-disposed towards his subjects and
possessed of every virtue. (But withal) he was childless. And with a
fixed mind, he tried his utmost for obtaining issue. And, O Bharata
there came unto him (once) a Brahmarshi named Damana. And, O king of
kings, desirous of having offspring, Bhima, versed in morality, with his
queen gratified that illustrious Rishi by a respectful reception. And
Damana, well-pleased, granted unto the king and his consort a boon in
the form of a jewel of a daughter, and three sons possessed of lofty
souls and great fame. (And they were called respectively) Damayanti, and
Dama and Dama, and illustrious Damana. And the three sons were possessed
of every accomplishment and terrible mien and fierce prowess. And the
slender-waisted Damayanti, in beauty and brightness, in good name and
grace and luck, became celebrated all over the world. And on her
attaining to age, hundreds of hand-maids, and female slaves, decked in
ornaments, waited upon her like _Sachi_ herself. And Bhima's daughter of
faultless features, decked in every ornament, shone in the midst of her
hand-maids, like the luminous lightning of the clouds. And the
large-eyed damsel was possessed of great beauty like that of Sree
herself. And neither among celestials, nor among Yakshas, nor among men
was anybody possessed of such beauty, seen or heard of before. And the
beautiful maiden filled with gladness the hearts of even the gods. And
that tiger among men, Nala also had not his peer in the (three) worlds:
for in beauty he was like _Kandarpa_ himself in his embodied form. And
moved by admiration, the heralds again and again celebrated the praises
of Nala before Damayanti and those of Damayanti before the ruler of the
Nishadhas. And repeatedly hearing of each other's virtues they conceived
an attachment towards each other not begot of sight, and that
attachment, O son of Kunti began to grow in strength. And then Nala was
unable to control the love that was in his bosom. And he began to pass
much of his time in solitude in the gardens adjoining the inner
apartment (of his palace). And there he saw a number of swans furnished
with golden wings, wandering in those woods. And from among them he
caught one with his hands. And thereupon the sky-ranging one said unto
Nala. "Deserve I not to be slain by thee, O king. I will do something
that is agreeable to thee, O king of the Nishadhas. I will speak of thee
before Damayanti in such a way that she will not ever desire to have any
other person (for her lord)." Thus addressed, the king liberated that
swan. And those swans then rose on their wings and went to the country
of the Vidarbhas. And on arriving at the city of the Vidarbhas the birds
alighted before Damayanti, who beheld them all. And Damayanti in the
midst of her maids, beholding those birds of extraordinary appearance
was filled with delight, and strove without loss of time to catch those
coursers of the skies. And the swans at this, before that bevy of
beauties, fled in all directions. And those maidens there pursued the
birds, each (running) after one. And the swan after which Damayanti ran,
having led her to a secluded spot, addressed her in human speech,
saying, O Damayanti, there is a king amongst the Nishadhas named Nala.
He is equal unto the Aswins in beauty, not having his peer among men.
Indeed, in comeliness, he is like _Kandarpa_ himself in his embodied
form. O fair-complexioned one, O thou of slender waist, if thou becomest
his wife, thy existence and this thy beauty may be of purpose. We have,
indeed, beheld celestials and Gandharvas, and Nagas, and Rakshasas, and
men, but never saw we before any one like Nala. Thou also art a jewel
among thy sex, as Nala is the prince among men. The union of the best
with the best is happy." Thus addressed by the swan, Damayanti, O
monarch, replied unto him there, saying, "Do thou speak thus unto Nala
also." Saying _So be it_, to the daughter of Vidarbha, the oviparous
one, O king, returned to the country of the Nishadhas, and related
everything unto Nala.'"