canto   1                                      anuṣṭubh   

                                                                                               8    8    /              syllables

                            bṛhadaṣva   uvāca                                      8    8    //

 

·        āsīt  rājā   nalas   nāma      vīrasenasutas   balī  /

          was   king      Nala        name             Vīrasena-son       mighty-one

                      ppp

          there  was  a king  named  Nala,  the  son of the    powerful   Virasena

        upapannas   gunais iṣṭais        rūpavān   aṣvakovidas  //

        provided-with      with-qualities-desired        possessing-form     horse-very-knowing

                       ppp                                                                       ppp                                                                                     ko =  intensive

      endowed  with desirable qualities,  possessing  good looks,  he was very knowledgeable about horses

 

·        atiṣṭhan   manujendrāṇām     mūrdhni   devapatis  yathā  /

      stood               of-men-king                      at-top-of          god-lord            as

          he stood at the head of the kings of men, like the lord of gods

         upari upari   sarveṣām   āditya   iva   tejasā  //

            way-above          of-all               sun          like          with-brightness

                      and like the sun because of his splendor

·        brahmaṇyas   vedavid   śūra:   niṣadheṣu   mahīpatis  /

               pious                 veda-learned       hero     amoung-Nasadhas     great-lord

                pious, knower of Vedas,  heroic,   king  amoung the Nasadhas

         akṣapriyas   satyavādī   mahān     akṣauhiṇīpatis  //

               dice-lover        truth-speaking       great              complete-army-lord

               he was fond of dice,  a speaker of truth,, and the great lord of a complete army

 

·       īpsitas   naranārīṇām,   udāras    samyatendriyas

     desired       of-women               excellent         sense-restrained

            desired by excellent women, noble, whose senses were controlled

        rakṣitā,    dhanvinām    śreṣṭhas,    sākṣāt   iva   manus   svayam

              protector       of-archers              best              from-appearance  like  Manu    himself

             protector,  and the best of archers,  he was like Manu himself before the eyes

 

·         tathā    iva   āsīd    vidarbheṣu   bhīmas,    bhīmaparākramas,

       so         like      was      amoung-Vidarbhas    Bhīma           having-awesome-courage

             similarly   among  the Vidarbhas  there  was Bhima  of terrible courage,

         śūras   sarvaguṇāis    yuktas,    prajākāmas,    sa    ca     aprajas

               hero       with-all-qualities        joined-to      offspring-desire      he                 without-offspring

           a hero endowed  with all good qualities  desirous of offspring  he  made effort to have offspring

 

·          sa   prajārthe    param    yatnam    akarot,    susamāhitas

        he   in-the-matter-of     foremost      effort               made            very-intensive

                 oh Bharata ,  desirous of offspring,

           tam    abhyagacchat    brahmarṣis,    damanas  nāma,   bhārata

                 him        went-towards                brahmin-ṛṣi             Damana                             Bhima  

                  a Brahmin risi named Damana  went towards  him (Bhima)

 

·        tam   sa  bhīmas   prajākāmas   toṣayāmāsa    dharmavit  /

      him                              offspring-desirous      made-glad               dharma-knower

             Bhima, knower of dharma,  desirous of offspring

        mahiṣyā   saha,    rājendra,   satkāreṇa,   suvarcasam

               with-his-queen                                       with-hospitality              splendor

               along with his principle queen satisfied Damana of great splendor with hospitality

 

·        tasmāi    prasannas    damanas    sabhāryāya    varam   dadau

        to-him       pleased                 Damana             with-his-wife          boon               gave

      pleased   Damana  gave a boon  to him along with his wife.

         kanyā-ratnam    kumārān  ca   trīn    udārān    mahāyaśās

              girl-jewel                          boys                        3         noble         of-great-splendour   

               a jewel of a girl and 3 noble, renowned princes

 

·         damayantīṃ    damam    dāntam    damanam  ca  suvarcasam

                                                                                                                        good-lustre        

                     their names were  Damayanti, Dama, Danta, and Damana

     upapannān    guṇais   sarvais   bhīmān    bhīmaparākramān

         approached-with    with-all-qualities            fierce              of-awesome-courage  

    they were of great splendor, fierce and of terrible courage and endowed with all good qualities

 

·        damayantī  tu   rūpeṇa    tejasā    yaśasā    śriyā

     but  Damayantī          by-form      by-brilliance     by-fame       by-beauty

      Damayantī, having a slender waist, obtained fame in the world by her beauty

    saubhāgyena  ca   lokeṣu    yathas    prāpa    sumadhyamā 

          by-prosperity-charm      amoung-folk        so       obtained (perf.)   slender-waist

         splendor, fame, wealth and good fortune

 

·        atha    tām    vayasi    prāpte       dāsīnām    samalamkṛtam

   now-then    she    (when-the-period-of-life-was-come)    of-slaves      well-adorned

             when she had grown up 100 well adorned slaves

   śatam    sakhīnām  ca   tathā    paryupāste    śavīm    iva

      100       and    of-friends                  so             attended-upon         śavī         like

        100 friends  served her like Sachi

 

·        tatra    sma    bhrājate    bhaimī    sarvābharaṇabhūṣitā

      there            shone                    Bhaimī           adorned-with-all-ornaments

       there,  the daughter of Bhima,  of jaultless limbs, adorned with ornaments

    sakhīmadhye    anavadyāṅgī    vidyutsaudāminī    yathā

         in-friends-middle           faultless-limbs            lightening-shine                     as

       shown in the midst of her friends like lightening shines from the midst of clouds

 

·        atīva   rūpasampannā    śrīs    iva  ayatalocanā

     very        form-endowed             Lakṣmī     like         big-eyes

     she was very beautiful with big eyes like Laksmi

   na   deveṣu  na    yakṣeṣu    tādṛg    rūpavatī       kvacit

    not   amoung-gods   not  amoung-Yaksas    that-like    possessing-form    anywhere

            not among the gods, not among Yaksas

 

·        mānuṣeṣu  api   ca  anyeṣu   dṛṣṭapūrvā   na    ca    śrutā

      amoung-men   also      amoung-others   seen-before          nor  heard

           also not among others had such a beautiful one been seen or heard anywhere before

   cittapramāthinī    bālā    devānām    api    sundarī

      mind-churner               girl          of-gods           even      beautiful

        the beautiful girl confused the minds even of the gods

 

·        nalas  ca    naraśārdūlas    rūpeṇa    apratimas    bhuvi

                              man-tiger              with-form         having-no-equal      on-earth

     Nala, a tiger amoung men   because of his beauty

   kandarpa    iva    rūpeṇa    mūrtimān    abhavat    svayam

        cupid             like         with-form    possessing-shape      was          himself

        was incamparable like tha god of love himself

 

·        tasyās    samīpe  tu    nalam    praśaśamsu:    kutūhalāt

        of-her   in-the-presence     but     Nala             praise                     eagerly

            they praise Nala in her (Damayanti)  vicinity eagerly

        naiṣadhasya    samīpe  tu    damayantīṃ    punar   puna

                of-Naiṣadha       in-the-presense                     

              likewise,  they praised  Damayantī in the presence of Nala

 

·        tayos    adṛṣṭakāma:s    abhūs    śṛṇvatos    satatam    guṇān

       of-each-other    unseen-love            upon          hearing         continuous        qualities  

        hey son of Kunti, upon hearing the praise of each other

        anyonyam    prati    kaunteya   sa    vyavardhata   hṛcchayas

          one-towards-the-other   towards    Kaunteya    it           grew                        lying-in-heart

       an unseen love developed between the two and the reciprocal love which abides in heart grew strong

 

·        aśaknuvan    nalas    kāmam    tadā    dhārayitum    hṛdā

       unable                Nala         love                  then            to-endure           with-heart

        Nala,  unable to bear his desire of the heart

        antas    purasamīpasthe    vane    āste    rahas    gatas

                near-his private                              forest   in-home         secretly       sat

              secretly sat in the forest near his private chambers

 

·        sa  dadarśa    tadā    hamsāṅ    jātarūpaparicchadān

        he   saw               then        birds                   gold-adorned

        after that, he saw birds that were adorned in gold

    vane    vicaratām    teṣām    ekam    jagrāha    pakṣiṇam

          in-forest    of-those-going-around             1               grasped (perf)      bird

          he grasped at one of the birds that was going around in the forest

 

·        tatas    antarikṣagas   vācam    vyājahāra    nalam    tadā

       thence      sky-goer                speech              uttered             Nala            then   

      then the bird uttered a speech to Nala

   na  hantavyas    asmi  na  te    rājan    kariṣyāmi    hi   te    priyam

        not  to-be-slain            I-am     not   by-you    King      I-will-do        indeed     for-you    dear 

         King, I am not to be killed by you.  I will do what is dear to you

 

·        damayantīsakāśe    tvām    kathayiṣyāmi    naiṣadha

         Damayantī   in-the-pressence     you     i-will-talk   O king-of-the-Nisadhas     

       oh king of the Nisadhas.  I will talk about you in the vicinity of Damayantī

   yathā    tvad    anyam    puruṣam  na        mamsyati    karhi    cit

        she will never think of any other man but you

 

·        evam    uktas    tatas    hamsam    utsasarja    mahīpatis

           thus  addressed, the king released the bird

   te   tu   hamsās    samutpatya    vidarbhān    agamans    tatas

     then those birds having flown up together went to Vidarbha

 

·        vidarbhanagarīm    gatvā    damayantyās    tadāntike

              having gone to the city of Vidarbha , those birds flew near Damayantī

    nipetus  te    garutmantas        dadarśa  ca    tān    gaṇān

         and she saw the flock of birds

 

·            tān    adbhutarūpān    cai    dṛṣṭvā    sakhigaṇāvṛtā

           surrounded by a group of friends,  having seen those who possess an amazing form

         hṛṣṭā    grahītum    khagamāns    tvaramāṇopacakrame

               she ecitedly approached the birds rushing to grab them

 

·        atha    hamsā    visasṛpus    sarvatas    pramadāne

       now the birds spread out in all directions   in the pleasure garden

    ekaikaśas    tatas    kanyas    tān    hamsān    samupādravan

           and the girls ran towards them one by one

 

·        damayantī   tu   yam  hamsam    samupādhāvad    antike

             the bird that Damayantī ran after assumed human speech

    sa    mānuṣīm    giram    kṛtvā    damayantīm    athābravīt

           and then spoke to Damayantī

 

·        damayantī    nalas    nāma    niṣadheṣu    mahīpati:

    Damayantī,  there is a king named Nala amoung the Nisadhas

     aśvinos    sadṛśas    rūpe  na    samās    tasya    mānuṣās

         he is as handsome as the Asvins , there are no men like him

 

·        tasya   vai   yadi    bhāryā    tvam    bhavethā    varavarṇini

         oh woman of a beautiful complexion, if you are to become his wife

    saphalam    te   bhavet    janma    rūpam    cedam    sumadhyame

    then oh fair waisted one, our birth and beauty would be fruitful

 

·        vayam   hi    deva-gandharva-mānuṣyoraga-rākṣasān

         for we have seen gods,  gandharvas,  men, snakes and demons

        dṛṣṭavantas   na    ca    asmābhis    dṛṣṭapūrvas    tathāvidhas

              but such a one (Nala)  has not been seen by us before

 

·        tvam    ca   api    ratnam    nārīṇām    nareṣu   ca    nalas   varas

         you are a jwewl among women and he is the best among men

          viśiṣṭāyā    viśiṣṭena    samgamas    guṇavān    bhavet

              the coming together of an exceptional woman with an exceptional man would be good

 

·        evam    uktā   tu    hansena    damayantī    viśām    pate

           oh king,  thus addressed b the bird, Damayantī said to that bird

     abravīt    tatra    tam   hansam    tvam    api    evam    nalam    vada

            you also say he same thing to Nala

 

·       tatha   iti   uktvāṇḍajas   kanyām    vaidarbhasya    viṣām    pate

            oh king,  having said  ‘yes’  to the daughter of Vidarbha,   the bird

      punar    āgamya    niṣadhān    nale    sarvam    nyavedayat

           having come  again to the ñisadhas  informed Nala of all of this

 

           iti     nalopākhyāne    prathamas    sargas

                 this is the first chapter of the story of Nala