Damayanti's story is told in Mahabharata to Yudhisthira the eldest brother when the Pandavas were completing their exile period. Yudhisthira met Rishi Vrihadashwa in the forest. He told the Rishi about his miserable fate. To relieve Yudhisthira from his pain he told him the story of Nala and Damayanti. The story is about a very beautiful woman Damayanti, the princess of Vidarbha, who chose the very handsome Nala as her husband. They had a very happy life and two children. After twelve years of marriage, they confronted their ill fate when Nala’s cousin Pushkara invited him to play a game of dice. Nala lost all his possession in the game. He was asked to leave his palace and was not allowed to carry anything but his garment on his body.
Damayanti decided to accompany him. Nala asked her to leave him but she was determined to follow her husband but he eventually agreed. They somehow tried to sleep. Nala was unhappy to see his wife suffer because of him. So he left in the dark of night, hoping that Damayanti would go back to her father in his absence. She instead roamed through the forest in search of her husband and eventually reached the kingdom of Chedi. Initially pelted for her appearance, she was taken in by the queen and hired as the lady in waiting. She never stopped thinking about her husband. One day a priest named Parnada from her father’s kingdom arrived at Chedi and immediately recognized the princess and had her sent to her father.
She wanted to find her husband. So his father appointed a priest called Parnada for the same. But he didn’t know how to recognize Nala. So Damayanti asked her to sing a song during his travel:
“Oh, you who lost crown and kingdom in gambling, who abandoned your wife after taking one half of her clothing, where are you? Your beloved still yearns for you.”
According to her, only Nala would respond to it. So the priest did the same. And when he reached Ayodhya, ruled by Rituparna, the royal cook, an ugly dwarf responded to the song:
“Despair not beloved of that unlucky soul. He still cares for you. The fool who gambled away his kingdom, whose clothes were stolen by a bird, who wandered off in the middle of the night leaving you all alone in the forest.”
Parnada rushed back to Damayanti and told her everything. She said that it was her husband who responded. But Parnada pointed out that he was an ugly dwarf, named Bahuka. But Damayanti knew it could be none other but her husband. So she came up with a plan. She announced her swayamvara. She asked Sudev to visit Ayodhya and tell the king that there is no sign of Nala, and therefore Damayanti would get remarried. And that the swayamvara would take place the very next day of the announcement. The idea behind the plan was that Nala was the fastest charioteer in the world and hence the king would take his help. And the plan worked. But the dwarf would help him with a condition. He asked the king the trick to win a dice game. The king who was an expert in the dice game promised Bahuka to teach him.
Then Bahuka left for swayamvara with the king. As soon as they reached Vidarbha and their chariot crossed the palace gate two children came running. Bahuka jumped off the chariot and hugged them. Rituparna, the king, was shocked. He asked Bahuka about the children but he didn’t reply. Damayanti watched from far and she was sure he was her husband. When he walked through the palace the gates rose to give him the way, as if the whole palace recognized him. Damayanti rushed to him and hugged him in front of everyone including the king. She told everyone that he was Nala.
Everyone was in shock because the Nala they knew was a handsome man. Nala told how he came upon a dreaded snake Karkotaka. It’s venomous breathe transformed him into an ugly dwarf. But the snake gave Nala a magic robe that would transform him back to his original self, once he learns his lesson and also advised him to visit Ayodhya and learn to play dice game from the King. Nala wrapped the magic robe around himself and transformed. Now there was no doubt. The king was impressed by Nala and Damayanti’s love. He kept his promise. After few days Nala challenged his cousin for a dice game. He told his cousin that this time he would put his beautiful wife at stake. His cousin accepted the challenge. This time Nala won everything back.
This story might have given a spark of hope to Yudhisthir to win after betting on his wife as Nala did, alas not everyone's fate is the same.
Damayanti decided to accompany him. Nala asked her to leave him but she was determined to follow her husband but he eventually agreed. They somehow tried to sleep. Nala was unhappy to see his wife suffer because of him. So he left in the dark of night, hoping that Damayanti would go back to her father in his absence. She instead roamed through the forest in search of her husband and eventually reached the kingdom of Chedi. Initially pelted for her appearance, she was taken in by the queen and hired as the lady in waiting. She never stopped thinking about her husband. One day a priest named Parnada from her father’s kingdom arrived at Chedi and immediately recognized the princess and had her sent to her father.
She wanted to find her husband. So his father appointed a priest called Parnada for the same. But he didn’t know how to recognize Nala. So Damayanti asked her to sing a song during his travel:
“Oh, you who lost crown and kingdom in gambling, who abandoned your wife after taking one half of her clothing, where are you? Your beloved still yearns for you.”
According to her, only Nala would respond to it. So the priest did the same. And when he reached Ayodhya, ruled by Rituparna, the royal cook, an ugly dwarf responded to the song:
“Despair not beloved of that unlucky soul. He still cares for you. The fool who gambled away his kingdom, whose clothes were stolen by a bird, who wandered off in the middle of the night leaving you all alone in the forest.”
Parnada rushed back to Damayanti and told her everything. She said that it was her husband who responded. But Parnada pointed out that he was an ugly dwarf, named Bahuka. But Damayanti knew it could be none other but her husband. So she came up with a plan. She announced her swayamvara. She asked Sudev to visit Ayodhya and tell the king that there is no sign of Nala, and therefore Damayanti would get remarried. And that the swayamvara would take place the very next day of the announcement. The idea behind the plan was that Nala was the fastest charioteer in the world and hence the king would take his help. And the plan worked. But the dwarf would help him with a condition. He asked the king the trick to win a dice game. The king who was an expert in the dice game promised Bahuka to teach him.
Then Bahuka left for swayamvara with the king. As soon as they reached Vidarbha and their chariot crossed the palace gate two children came running. Bahuka jumped off the chariot and hugged them. Rituparna, the king, was shocked. He asked Bahuka about the children but he didn’t reply. Damayanti watched from far and she was sure he was her husband. When he walked through the palace the gates rose to give him the way, as if the whole palace recognized him. Damayanti rushed to him and hugged him in front of everyone including the king. She told everyone that he was Nala.
Everyone was in shock because the Nala they knew was a handsome man. Nala told how he came upon a dreaded snake Karkotaka. It’s venomous breathe transformed him into an ugly dwarf. But the snake gave Nala a magic robe that would transform him back to his original self, once he learns his lesson and also advised him to visit Ayodhya and learn to play dice game from the King. Nala wrapped the magic robe around himself and transformed. Now there was no doubt. The king was impressed by Nala and Damayanti’s love. He kept his promise. After few days Nala challenged his cousin for a dice game. He told his cousin that this time he would put his beautiful wife at stake. His cousin accepted the challenge. This time Nala won everything back.
This story might have given a spark of hope to Yudhisthir to win after betting on his wife as Nala did, alas not everyone's fate is the same.
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