Damayanti (दमयन्ती), a character in Hindu mythology, was the princess of Vidarbha Kingdom, who married king Nala, of Nishadha Kingdom, and their story is told in the Mahabharata.
The story
Damayanti was a princess of Vidarbha Kingdom. She was of such beauty and grace that even gods could not stop from admiring her. She fell in love with Nala simply from hearing about his virtues and accomplishments from a golden swan. When it came time for Damayanti to choose her husband at a swayamvara, gods on top of princes and kings came to seek her hand. The Gods Indra, Agni, Varuna and Yama were on their way for attendance, when they met Nala. They ordered him to be their messenger and to go inform Damayanti that she must choose one of them for husband. Nala first refused, saying he is himself interested in her, but he finally accept the mission. On his sight, Damayanti agreed to pay her respects to the gods, but she insisted on choosing only Nala for her husband. The Gods then each disguised themselves as Nala, and ask Damayanti to chose amongst them. Damayanti saw through them each time, as she is aware that her true beloved one is a human being and cannot be perfect, which helped her set him apart from the gods. The demon Kali, the personification of Kali yuga, also wanted to marry Damayanti. On his arrival, he is unaware that he was too late for the swayamvara. He ran into the gods and they told him how she had chosen Nala in their place. Kali then angrily vowed to cause the fall of Nala’s kingdom through his propensity for gambling.
Damayanti and Nala were happily married and had two children. Kali enters the palace as a servant, and waits twelve long years spotting for the most little imperfection by which he could strike Nala. One day, Nala in a rush to make his prayer made himself impure by not washing his feet, thereby allowing Kali to bewitch his soul. In games of dice with his brother Pushkara, he lost his kingdom, forcing Nala and Damayanti to live in poverty in the forest. Birds flew away with the only garment Nala possessed. After all these misadventure, Nala starts worrying for Damayanti and, obscured by Kali, resolves to abandon her in order to protect her from his bad luck. Damayanti found herself alone in the forest and enacted a curse against those who had caused the downfall of her husband. Nala, meanwhile, rescued the Snake King Nāga Karkotaka from fire. As a result, Nāga Karkotaka bites him in rewards. As Nala seeks for an explanation, Nāga Karkotaka says that the poison will only take effect when it is perfect. Nala survives the bite, but the venom turned him into an un recognizable dwarf named Bahuka, who served as a charioteer to the Ayodhya King Rituparna.
Damayanti searches refuge in the palace of the Princess of Chedi, offering to serve her, only not as a servant. discourse to which the Princess of Chedi replies that she can be her host. Damayanti is finally discovered and taken back to her father's house where she is reunited with her children. They searched for Nala, but could not find him. Damayanti starts thinking that the only way Nala would come back would be the fear that she would not be his wife anymore. That is why she requested a second swayamvara. She was still of irresistible beauty that many kings want to attend. Nala's master also wants to go to the swayamvara, and Nala accompanied him. On their journey to the swayamvara, the king instructed the dwarf in the techniques of gambling. When King Rituparna revealed to him the supreme skill of controlling the dice, finally the poison take effect and Bahuka vomited Kali from his body and imprisoned him temporarily in a tree. Damayanti was persuaded that the dwarf was Nala because of the flavor of a dish that he cooked for her. The two were reunited and Nala was transformed from being a dwarf into his familiar form. He used the knowledge of gambling he had gained in order to regain everything he had lost.
She forgives him for having abandoned her in the forest, and he forgives her for having organised another swayamvara
They live happily ever after.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nala-Damayanti |
Comments
It is described as a tale of luck, The hero gets through good luck, bad luck, and good luck again, and at all times remains true to the Dharma. She on the other part represents bliss. She chooses the human amongst the gods, and does she have to do it again, she chooses the same again.
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