Chapter XIII: Book XII

Slain that savage wild-beast hunter--onward went the lotus-eyed,
Through the dread, and desert forest--ringing with the cricket's song;
Full of lions, pards, and tigers--stags, and buffalos, and bears,
Where all kinds of birds were flocking--and wild men and robbers dwelt.
Trees of every form and stature[74]--every foliage, every name;
Pregnant with rich mines of metal--many a mountain it enclosed,
Many a shady resonant arbour--many a deep and wondrous glen;
Many a lake, and pool, and river--birds and beasts of every shape.
She, in forms terrific round her--serpents, elves, and giants saw:[75]
Pools, and tanks of lucid water--and the shaggy tops of hills,
Flowing streams and headlong torrents--saw, and wondered at the sight.
And the princess of Vidarbha--gazed where in their countless herds,
Buffalos and bears were feeding--boars, and serpents of the wood.
Safe in virtue, bright in beauty--glorious and of high resolve,
Now alone, Vidarbha's daughter--wandering, her lost Nala sought.
Yet no fear king Bhima's daughter--for herself might deign to feel,
Travelling the dreary forest--only for her lord distressed;
Him she mourned, that noble princess--him in bitterest anguish wailed,
Every limb with sorrow trembling--stood she on a beetling rock;
"Monarch, with broad chest capacious--monarch with the sinewy arm,
Me in this dread forest leaving--whither hast thou fled away?
Thou the holy Aswamedha--thou each sacrificial rite,
Hast performed, to me, me only--in thy holy faith thou'st failed.
That which thou, O best of husbands--in mine hearing hast declared,
Thy most solemn vow remember--call to mind thy plighted faith.
Of the swift-winged swans the language--uttered, monarch, by thy side,
That thyself, before my presence--didst renew, bethink thee well.
Thou the Vedas, thou the Angas--with the Upangas oft hast read,
Of each heaven-descended volume--one and simple is the truth.
Therefore, of thy foes the slayer!--reverence thou the sacred truth
Of thy solemn plighted promise--in my presence sworn so oft.
Am not I the loved so dearly--purely, sinlessly beloved;
In this dark and awful forest--wherefore dost thou not reply?
Here with monstrous jaws wide yawning--with his fierce and horrid form,
Gapes the forest king to slay me--and thou art not here to save.
None but I, thou'st said, for ever--none but I to thee am dear!
Make this oft-repeated language--make this oft-sworn promise true.
To thy queen bereft of reason--to thy weeping wife beloved,
Why repliest thou not--her only thou desir'st--she only thee.
Meagre, miserable, pallid--tainted with the dust and mire,
Scantly clad in half a garment--lone, with no protector near;
Like a large-eyed hind that wanders--separate from the wonted herd,
Thou regard'st me not, thus weeping--oh thou tamer of thy foes.
Mighty king, a lonely wanderer--in this vast and trackless wood,
Damayanti, I address thee--wherefore answerest not my voice?
Nobly born, and nobly minded--beautiful in every limb,
Do I not e'en now behold thee--in this mountain, first of men,
In this lion-haunted forest--in this tiger-howling wood,
Lying down or seated, standing--or in majesty and might
Moving, do I not behold thee--the enhancer of my woe?
Who shall I address, afflicted--wasted by my grief away;
'Hast thou haply seen my Nala--in the solitary wood?'
Who this day will show the monarch--wandering in the forest depth,
Beautiful and royal-minded--conqueror of an host of foes!
'Him thou seek'st with eyes of lotus--Nala, sovereign of men--
Lo, he's here!' whose voice of music--may I hear thus sweetly speak?
Lo, with fourfold tusks before me--and with wide and gaping jaws,
Stands the forest king, the tiger--I approach him without fear.
Of the beasts art thou the monarch--all this forest thy domain,
For the daughter of Vidarbha--Damayanti, know thou me,
Consort of Nishadha's sovereign--Nala, slayer of his foes--
Seeking here my exile husband--lonely, wretched, sorrow-driven,
Thou, O king of beasts, console me--if my Nala thou hast seen;
Or, O lord of all the forest--Nala if thou canst not show,
Best of savage beasts, devour me--from my misery set me free.
Hearing thus my lamentation-now does that fell king of beasts
Go towards the crystal river--flowing downward to the sea.'--
To this mountain then the holy--crowned with many a lofty peak,
In its soul-exalting splendour--rising, many-hued, to heaven;
Full within of precious metal--rich with many a glowing gem,
Rising o'er the spreading forest--like a banner broad and high,
Ranged by elephants and lions--tigers, bears, and boars, and stags;
And of many birds the voices--sweetly sound o'er all its cliffs;
All the trees of richest foliage[76]--all the trees of stateliest height,
All the flowers and golden fruitage--on its crested summits wave,
Down its peaks in many a streamlet--dip the water-birds their wings:
This, the monarch of all mountains--ask I of the king of men;
'O, all-honoured Prince of Mountains, with thy heaven-ward soaring peaks,
Refuge of the lost, most noble--thee, O Mountain, I salute;
I salute thee, lowly bowing--I, the daughter of a king;
Of a king the royal consort--of a king's son I the bride.
Of Vidarbha the great sovereign--mighty hero is my sire.
Named the lord of earth, king Bhima--of each caste the guardian he;
Of the holy Aswamedha--of the regal sacrifice,[77]
He the offerer, best of monarchs--known by his commanding eye,
Pious, and of life unblemished--true in word, of generous speech,
Affable, courageous, prosperous--skilled in every duty, pure.
Of Vidarbha the protector--conqueror of a host of foes;
Know me of that king the daughter--lowly thus approaching thee.
In Nishadha, mighty Mountain! dwelt the father of my lord.
High the name he won, the illustrious--Virasena was he called.
Of this king the son, the hero--prosperous and truly brave,
He who rules his father's kingdom--by hereditary right,
Slayer of his foes, dark Nala--Punyasloka is he called;
Holy, Veda read, and eloquent--soma quaffing, fire adoring,[78][79]
Sacrificer, liberal giver--warrior, in all points a king,--
Of this monarch, best of mountains--know, the wife before thee stands.
Fallen from bliss, bereft of husband--unprotected, sorrow-doomed,
Seeking every where her husband--him the best of noblest men.
Best of mountains, heaven-upsoaring--with thy hundred stately peaks,
Hast thou seen the kingly Nala--in this dark and awful wood:
Like the elephant in courage--wise, impetuous, with long arms,
Valiant, and of truth unquestioned--my heroic, glorious lord;
Hast thou seen Nishadha's sovereign--mighty Nala hast thou seen?
Why repliest thou not, oh Mountain--sorrowing, lonely, and distressed,
With thy voice why not console me--as thine own afflicted child?
Hero, mighty, strong in duty--true of promise, lord of earth,
If thou art within the forest--show thee in thy proper form.
When so eloquently deep-toned--like the sound of some dark cloud,
Shall I hear thy voice, oh Nala!--sweet as the amrita draught,[80]
Saying, 'daughter of Vidarbha!'--with distinct, with blessed sound,
Musical as holy Veda--rich, and soothing all my pain;
Thus console me, trembling, fainting--thou, oh virtue-loving king!"
To the holiest of mountains--spake the daughter of the king.
Damayanti then set forward--toward the region of the north.
Three days long, three nights she wandered--then that noble woman saw,
The unrivalled wood of hermits--like to a celestial grove.
To the ancient famous hermits[81]--equal was that sacred crew;
Self-denying, strict in diet[82]--temperate, and undefiled;
Water-drinking, air inhaling--and the leaves their simple food;
Mortified, for ever blessed--seeking the right way to heaven;
Bark for vests and skins for raiment--wore those hermits, sense-subdued.
She beheld the pleasant circle--of those hermits' lonely cells;
Round them flocks of beasts were grazing--wantoned there the monkey tribes.
When she saw those holy dwellings--all her courage was revived.
Lovely browed, and lovely tressed--lovely bosom'd, lovely lipp'd,[83]
In her brightness, in her glory--with her large dark beauteous eyes,
Entered she those hermit dwellings--wife of Virasena's son;
Pearl of women, ever blessed-Damayanti the devout,
She those holy men saluting--stood with modest form half bent.
"Hail, and welcome!" thus those hermits--instant with one voice exclaimed.
And those sacred men no sooner--had the fitting homage paid,
"Take thy seat," they said, "oh lady[84]--and command what we must do."
Thus replied the slender waisted--"Blessed are ye, holy men.
In your sacred fires, your worship[85]--blameless, with your beasts and
birds.[86]
Doth the grace of heaven attend you--in your duties, in your deeds?"
Answered they, "The grace of heaven--ever blesses all our deeds.
But say thou, of form so beauteous--who thou art, and what thou would'st?
As thy noble form we gaze on--on thy brightness as we gaze,
In amaze we stand and wonder--cheer thee up, and mourn no more.
Of the wood art thou the goddess--or the mountain goddess thou;
Or the goddess of the river?--Blessed Spirit, speak the truth.
Nor the sylvan goddess am I,"--to the Wise she thus replied;
"Neither of the mountain, Brahmins--nor the river nymph am I.
Know me but a mortal being--O, ye rich in holiness!
All my tale at length, I'll tell ye--if meet audience ye will give.
In Vidarbha, mighty guardian--Bhima, dwells the lord of earth;
Of that noble king the daughter--twice-born Sages, know ye me.[87]
And the monarch of Nishadha--Nala named, the great in fame;
Brave in battle, conqueror, prudent--is my lord, the peasants' king;
To the gods devout in worship--friendly to the Brahmin race,
Of Nishadha's race the guardian--great in glory, great in might,
True in word, and skilled in duty--and the slayer of his foes.
Pious, heaven-devoted, prosperous--conqueror of hostile towns;
Nala named, the best of sovereigns--splendid as the king of gods.
Know that large-eyed chief, my husband--like the full-orbed moon his face,
Giver he of costly offerings--deep in th' holy volumes read;
Slayer of his foes in battle--glorious as the sun and moon.
He to some most evil minded--unrespected, wicked men,
After many a challenge, studious--he of virtue and of truth,
To these skilful gamesters, fraudful--lost his kingdom and his wealth.
Know ye me the hapless consort--of that noble king of kings,
Damayanti, so they name me--yearning for my husband's sight.
I through forests, over mountains--stagnant marsh and river broad,
Lake with wide pellucid surface--through the long and trackless wood,
Ever seeking for my husband--Nala, skilful in the fight.
Mighty in the use of weapons--wander desolate and sad.
Tell me, to this pleasant sojourn--sacred to these holy men,
Hath he come, the royal Nala?--hath Nishadha's monarch come?
For whose sake through ways all trackless--terrible, have I set forth,
In this drear, appalling forest--where the lynx and tiger range,
If I see not noble Nala--ere few days, few nights are o'er,
I to happiness will join me--from this mortal frame set free.
Reft of him, my princely husband--what have I to do with life--
How endure existence longer--for my husband thus distressed."
To the lady thus complaining--lonely in the savage wood,
Answered thus those holy hermits--spake the gifted seers the truth:--
"There will be a time hereafter--beautiful, the time will come,
Through devotion now we see him[88]--and thou too wilt see him soon;
That good monarch of Nishadha--Nala, slayer of his foes;
That dispenser of strict justice--Bhima's daughter! free from grief,
From all sin released, thou'lt see him--glittering in his royal gems,
Governing that noble city--o'er his enemies supreme.
To his foemen causing terror--to his friends allaying grief,
Thou, oh noble, shalt thy husband--see, that king of noble race."
To the much-loved wife of Nala--to the princess speaking thus,
Vanished then those holy hermits--with their sacred fires, their cells.
As she gazed upon the wonder--wrapt in mute amaze she stood;
Damayanti, fair-limbed princess--wife of Virasena's son;
"Have I only seen a vision--what hath been this wondrous chance?
Where are all those holy hermits--where the circle of their cells?
Where that pure and pleasant river--haunted by the dipping birds?
Where those trees with grateful umbrage--with their pendant fruits and
flowers?"
Long within her heart she pondered--Damayanti with sweet smile,
For her lord, to grief abandoned--miserable, pale of hue;
To another region passed she--there with voice by weeping choked,
Mourns she, till with eyes o'erflowing--an Asoca tree she saw.
Best of trees, the Asoca blooming[89]--in the forest she approached,
Gemmed all o'er with glowing fruitage--vocal with the songs of birds.
"Ah, behold amid the forest--flourishes this happy tree,
With its leafy garlands radiant--as the joyous mountain king.
O thou tree with pleasant aspect--from my sorrow set me free.
Vitasoca, hast thou seen him--hast the fearless raja seen,
Nala, of his foes the slayer--Damayanti's lord beloved?
Hast thou seen Nishadha's monarch--hast thou seen mine only love,
Clad in half a single garment--with his soft and delicate skin;
Hast thou seen th' afflicted hero--wandering in the forest lone.
That I may depart ungrieving--fair Asoca, answer me.
Truly be thou named Asoca[90]--as the extinguisher of grief."
Thus in her o'erpowering anguish--moved she round the Asoca tree.
Then she went her way in sadness--to another region dread.
Many a tree she stood and gazed on--many a river passed she o'er;
Passed she many a pleasant mountain--many a wild deer, many a bird;
Many a hill and many a cavern--many a bright and wondrous stream,
Saw king Bhima's wandering daughter--as she sought her husband lost.
Long she roamed her weary journey--Damayanti with sweet smile,
Lo, a caravan of merchants--elephants, and steeds, and cars,
And beyond, a pleasant river--with its waters cool and clear.
'Twas a quiet stream, and waveless--girt about with spreading canes;
There the cuckoo, there the osprey--there the red-geese clamouring stood;
Swarmed the turtles, fish and serpents--there rose many a stately isle.
When she saw that numerous concourse--Nala's once all-glorious wife,
Entered she, the slender-waisted--in the midst of all the host;
Maniac-like in form and feature--and in half a garment clad,
Thin and pallid, travel-tainted--matted all her locks with dust.
As they all beheld her standing--some in terror fled away;
Some stood still in speechless wonder--others raised their voice and cried;
Mocked her some with cruel tauntings--others spake reproachful words;
Others looked on her with pity--and enquired her state, her name.
"Who art thou? whose daughter. Lady--in the forest seek'st thou aught?
At thy sight we stand confounded--art thou of our mortal race?
Of this wood art thou the goddess?--of this mountain? of that plain?
Who art thou, O noble Lady--thee, our refuge, we adore.
Art thou sylvan nymph or genius--or celestial nymph divine?
Every-way regard our welfare--and protect us, undespised:
So our caravan in safety--may pursue its onward way,
So ordain it, O illustrious!--that good fortune wait on all."
Thus addressed by that assemblage--Damayanti, kingly-born,
Answered thus with gentle language--grieving for her husband lost.
Of that caravan the leader--and the whole assembled host,
Youths and boys, and grey-haired elders--and the guides, thus answered she:
"Know me, like yourselves, a mortal--daughter of a king of men,
Of another king the consort--seeking for my royal lord;
Know, Vidarbha's king, my father--and Nishadha's king, my lord,
Nala, is his name, the glorious--him, th' unconquered do I seek;
Know ye aught of that good monarch--tell me, quick, of my beloved,
Of the tiger hero, Nala--slayer of a host of foes."
Of the caravan the captain--thus the lovely-limbed addressed,
Suchi was his name, the merchant--"Hear, illustrious queen, my speech;
Of this caravan the captain--I, O Lady with sweet smile,
Him that bears the name of Nala--nowhere have these eyes beheld.
Elephants, and pards, and tigers--lynxes, buffaloes, and bears,
See I in this trackless forest--uninhabited by men;
Save thyself, of human feature--nought, or human form, I've seen.
So may he, the king of Yakshas--Manibhadra, guard us well."[91]
To the merchants then she answered--to the leader of the host,
"Tell me whither do ye travel!--whither bound your caravan?"

_The_ CAPTAIN _of the caravan spake._

"To the realm of Chedi's sovereign[92]--truth-discerning Subahu,
Soon this caravan will enter--travelling in search of gain."