"Vrihadaswa continued, 'O Bharata, Nala pledged his word to the
celestials saying, "_I will do it_." And then approaching these, he
asked with folded hands, "Who are ye? And who also is he that desireth
me to be his messenger? And what, further, shall I have to do for you? O
tell me truly!"--When the king of the Nishadhas spoke thus, Maghavat
replied, saying, "Know us as the immortals come hither for Damayanti's
sake. I am Indra, this one is Agni, this the lord of waters, and this, O
king, is even Yama the destroyer of the bodies of men. Do thou inform
Damayanti of our arrival, saying, 'The guardians of the world,
(consisting of) the great Indra and the others, are coming to the
assembly, desirous of beholding (the Swayamvara). The gods, Sakra and
Agni and Varuna and Yama, desire to obtain thee. Do thou, therefore,
choose one of them for thy lord.'" Thus addressed by Sakra, Nala said
with joined hands, "I have come here with the self same object. It
behoveth thee not to send me (on this errand). How can a person who is
himself under the influence of love bring himself to speak thus unto a
lady on behalf of others? Therefore, spare me, ye gods." The gods,
however, said, "O ruler of the Nishadhas, having promised first, saying,
_I will!_ why wilt thou not act accordingly now? O ruler of the
Nishadhas, tell us this without delay."'
"Vrihadaswa continued, 'Thus addressed by those celestials, the ruler of
Nishadhas spake again, saying, "Those mansions are well-guarded. How can
I hope to enter them?" Indra replied, "Thou shalt be able to enter."
And, saying, _So be it_, Nala thereupon went to the palace of Damayanti.
And having arrived there, he beheld the daughter of the king of Vidarbha
surrounded by her hand-maids, blazing in beauty and excelling in
symmetry of form, of limbs exceedingly delicate, of slender waist and
fair eyes. And she seemed to rebuke the light of the moon by her own
splendour. And as he gazed on that lady of sweet smiles, Nala's love
increased, but desirous of keeping his truth, he suppressed his passion.
And at the sight of Naishadha, overpowered by his effulgence, those
first of women sprang up from their seats in amazement. And filled with
wonder (at his sight), they praised Nala in gladness of heart. And
without saying anything, they mentally paid him homage, "Oh, what
comeliness! Oh, what gentleness belongeth to this high-souled one! Who
is he? Is he some god or Yaksha or Gandharva?" And those foremost of
women, confounded by Nala's splendour and bashfulness would not accost
him at all in speech. And Damayanti although herself struck with
amazement, smilingly addressed the warlike Nala who also gently smiled
at her, saying, "What art thou, O thou of faultless features, that hast
come here awakening my love? O sinless one, O hero of celestial form, I
am anxious to know who thou art that hast come hither. And why hast thou
come hither? And how is it that thou hast not been discovered by any
one, considering that my apartments are well-guarded and the king's
mandates are stern." Thus addressed by the daughter of the king of the
Vidarbhas, Nala replied, "O beauteous lady, know that my name is Nala. I
come here as the messenger of the gods. The celestials, Sakra, Agni,
Varuna and Yama, desire to have thee. O beautiful lady, do thou choose
one of them for thy lord. It is through their power that I have entered
here unperceived, and it is for this reason that none saw me on my way
or obstructed my entrance. O gentle one, I have been sent by the
foremost of the celestials even for this object. Hearing this, O
fortunate one, do what thou pleasest."'"