MADE FOR EACH OTHER - THE TRIUMPH OF ENDURING LOVE
The touching love story of Nala and Damayanthi from Hindu Mythology is soul-stirring and enduring. The two of them had overcome the perils and typhoons of the Gods, Kali the demon king and Karkotaka the deadly poisonous serpent. As we know, the Hindu Epic Mahabharata stories are with full of boons and banes. This is a love story pitted against the most adverse circumstances, and the twosome is willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of one another, finally emerging victorious in true love, which does not surrender. It teaches us that in the end, true love prevails and never fails. No story stands as a more truthful testimony to the conquest of true love. Nala and Damayanthi were truly made for each other, and their romance was the most love-laden fairy tale romance.
Damayanthi was the most beautiful princess born to King Bhima of Vidarbha. The Gods from the heavens were attracted to her beauty and paraded themselves in her Swayamwar. Damayanthi was not only the most beautiful lady but also very chaste and humane.
Before connecting their love story, let us be informed that Nala had a weakness for the game of dice like the Pandavas and lost his family and fortune in the gambling. King Nala and Queen Damayanthi suffered more privations and underwent greater misery. This is one of the ancient stories of Indian literature and is full of pathos. The story narrates the heartrending hardships that the couple Nala and Damayanthi underwent patiently, and in the end, they regained their prosperity. It is an epic inside an epic and can be cited as an example of literature leading to the catharsis of emotions.
Let us unravel the romantic story. One day, a swan appeared in the garden of King Nala, and he captured the swan. The swan told Nala in a human tone that there is a beautiful princess called Damayanthi in the country of Vidarbha, and the King of Vidarbha was searching for a suitable groom for her. She was the most beautiful maiden in all three worlds. The swan impresses Nala that he is the best suitor for Damayanthi, and she will sing a song praising Nala to Damayanthi if she is freed from Nala’s captivity. The swan became a messenger for Nala and met Damayanthi in her palace lake. We all know that in ancient days, dove was used as couriers. Why only the birds, even cloud was a messenger in Kalidasa’s Meghduta. The swan praised Nala and told Damayanthi that he was the most handsome and famous warrior king and the best match for Damayanthi. Damayanthi was in a dreamy world after listening to the swan and fell in love with Nala instantly, and rejected the proposals from the Gods themselves. The pair of Nala and Damayanthi is known today as Hamsajodi, the swan couples.
Now, I'd like to tell you more about the story. Nala was the ruler of Nishada. He was the commander of a vast army and conquered many countries, extending the frontiers of his kingdom from coast to coast. He was renowned as an able administrator and a just ruler. He was also an expert charioteer. His country prospered under his rule. However, despite being one of the most handsome men of his time, he was a bachelor. One evening, Nala went to the royal park for recreation and rest. He saw some swans descending into the park. He appreciated their white wings, graceful gait, and pearly plumage. He rushed slowly to catch them, and all the birds made their escape except one. Nala was delighted at the catch. However, the bird started talking to him in human tones, “Great King, I am glad I am caught: you must have noticed my dilatory demeanor. Very recently, I have seen a princess, the most beautiful maiden in the three worlds, and I was wondering whether any prince could be found to match her accomplishments. At long last, I could spot the worthy prince in you. If you set me at liberty, I will go and tell the same thing to Dhamayanthi, the daughter of the King of Vidarbha.” Immediately, Nala freed the bird and said, “I have already heard of the princess and her exceptional beauty. I am happy that fortune has come to me flying; you can fly back, but please forget me not.” The swan flew away. However, Nala stood at the same spot silently till darkness. Nala went to bed dreaming about the swan and recollecting her sweet sentiments.
The swan went to Vidharbha and repeated the performance. This time, Damayanthi and her maids caught hold of the swans one each. The swan caught by Damayanthi told her in human tones, “I am coming from Nala, the most handsome prince I have seen in the three worlds. I am wondering whether any princess could be found anywhere to match his attainments. At long last, I could spot a worthy princess in you. You have to set me at liberty in your own interests.” Immediately, Damayanthi ordered her maids to free all the swans. She requested the swans to take their bath in the pellucid waters of the artificial lake in the royal park and feast on the lotus stems. She requested the swan, which spoke to her to go to Nala as her ambassador of love. The swan told her, “Princess Damayanthi, I have seen millions and millions of mortal couples. Pardon me if the husband is intelligent, the wife is not; if the wife is beautiful, the husband is ugly; if the wife is dynamic, the husband is passive; if one is daring, the other is timid; if one is pessimistic, the other is optimistic; everywhere incompatibilities are clubbed together in weary wedlock. I prefer to be brief. If you both are married, I can proclaim without any fear of contradiction that for the first time in the history of creation there would be a human couple ideally matched and made for each other.”
Damayanthi was very much pleased with the sweet words of the swan. The swans flew away after feasting on lotus stems in the lake for some time. Damayanthi stood staring at the horizon, silently heaving a sigh, quite oblivious of the setting sun and the spreading darkness. Damayanthi went to bed dreaming about Nala, the swan, and her sweet sentiments. Nala and Damayanthi, though separated by distance, were suffering from love sickness and spending sleepless nights tormented by the floral shafts of cupid, on beds of tender leaves and lotus stems, smearing sandal paste mixed with camphor all over their bodies.
The maids in waiting informed Bhima, the king of Vidharbha, that the love-lorn Damayanthi was absent-minded and not even taking food or drink. He thought over the matter, decided to proclaim the Swayamvara of Damayanthi, and invited all the princes, including Nala. Many Princes came to the capital city of Vidharbha, followed by huge retinues.
Nala entered the chamber of Damayanti in the royal palace and ushered himself into her presence. Damayanthi and her maids stood up in amazement at the sudden intrusion of a princely stranger. She, recollecting her wits, asked him, “Evidently, you must be an extraordinary personality to have entered my chambers unobserved by the guards of the royal palace. May I know who you are and why you have chosen this daring feat fraught with danger to your person?
The Swayamvara ceremony was started at the appointed hour. A galaxy of princes was gathered at the Swayamvara. All the princes took their seats. The gods wanted to enjoy some serious fun at the expense of Damayanti and sat next to Nala, all looking exactly like Nala. Damayanthi arrived on the scene with all the royal fanfare, holding the bridal garland in her right hand. When she looked at the princes seated in the royal auditorium, there were five Nalas instead of one sitting in a row. She could easily realize that it was a crafty subterfuge devised by the divine beings. She prayed to them in her heart, “O gods, I have every right to choose my husband. You have absolutely no justification for tormenting me like this, great souls. I request you to show mercy on this mortal maiden.
The gods were pleased with her prayer. Damayanthi could spot the gods with their static eyelids and their non-sweating bodies. On the other hand, tiny drops of sweat could be observed on the rosy cheeks of real Nala emitting rainbow colors by the diffusion of scattered rays of life. Damayanti fastened the bridal garland around Nala’s neck. The Brahmins chanted the Vedic hymns. The marriage of Nala and Damayanthi was celebrated with royal splendor, blessed by the Brahmins. The gods conferred on him great boons. Indra said that he would be personally present at his sacrifices. Agni, the fire god, promised him that he would be at his beck and call. Varuna, the water god, and Vayu, the air god, agreed to do likewise. The four demi-Gods assumed their true form, blessed the bride and groom, and went back to heaven. The couple departed for Nishadha and lived happily for twelve years, and had two children.
The gods, on their way back from Swayamvar, met Kali, the deity of degradation and depravity, and asked him, “Where are you going?” He replied, “I am going to Damayanthiswayamvara.” The gods laughed and said, “We are returning from the same. The destined gainer is Nala, whom Damayanthi selected, disregarding everybody else. You can go back.” But the disappointed Kali wanted to wreak vengeance on the couple and waited for an opportunity. But Nala gave no quarter to Kali, ruling the kingdom of Nishadha in all glory and grandeur. However, Nala was addicted to gambling, and Kali entered into a dice. Nala was always scrupulous with his hygiene and health. Cleanliness is next to godliness, and eternal vigilance is the price of cleanliness. One day, Nala inadvertently washed his feet carefully at the time of evening worship. Kali seized that opportunity and gained a foothold in the body of Nala. Nala’s cousin, King Pushkara, one day invited Nala to the game of dice, and Nala accepted the invitation following the Kshatriya etiquette. Nala, prompted by the power of Kali inside him, gambled away all his wealth and kingdom.
Together they wandered through the forest silently, he burdened by guilt, whereas she was determined to stand by him no matter what may.
Nala and Damayanti roamed in the forest, and Damayanti fell asleep after some time under the shade of a tree. Nala was overpowered with grief. The former queen, Damayanti, once surrounded by hundreds of waiting maids, was sleeping on the bare ground. He thought that she would go to Vidharbha, her father’s palace, if he left there and went his way. He walked a few yards but returned to the spot where she was absorbed in innocent sleep. His mind tossed to and fro for some time. Finally, he made up his mind and went away.
Meanwhile, Damayanti woke from her sleep but could not find her lord, Nala. She came to the conclusion that he had left her deliberately. She sobbed for a while and roamed in the forest, crying aloud. She searched for him, going from tree to tree and bush to bush. As evening approached, she suddenly found a venomous serpent blocking her path, ready to strike her. Luckily, a hunter shot an arrow and rescued her from its venomous bite. She thanked the hunter profusely, but soon realized that the hunter was not interested in her gratitude; he wanted to have the pleasure of her body. Damayanti was a chaste woman, and no sooner did the hunter touch her than he burst into flames.
She wandered in the forest aimlessly for some days, searching for Nala in frenzied hope amounting to lunacy. Eventually, she reached a hermitage where great saints lived, following the traditions of ancient sages like Vasistha, Valakhilyas, Vamadeva, Bhigru, and Narada. She enquired about Nala. The saints received her with due hospitality and learnt with sorrow how misfortune dogged the footsteps of a noble king and his devoted queen. They were convinced already that almighty destiny could degrade a king into a beggar or elevate a beggar to an emperor.
Afterwards, Damayanti came upon a caravan of traders who invited her to join them. That very night, a herd of elephants attacked the caravan, causing damage to their belongings. The traders felt that Damayanti brought them bad luck, so they drove her away.
As Damayanti tried to escape the mob of children, she caught the eye of the queen of Chedi. Feeling sorry for this unkempt but regal-looking woman, the queen had her brought to the palace, where Damayanti became her lady-in-waiting. Damayanti did not reveal her name or identity. She called herself Sairandhri and earned her keep as a hairdresser and perfume maker.
A Sairandhri was a lady who was obliged to seek royal service. She enjoyed the status of Sairandhri.
A few days later, a priest called Sudev passed through Chedi. He recognized Damayanti and revealed her true identity to the queen. After much persuasion, Damayanti agreed to go to her father’s house.
Nala, too, had reached a dead end. He did not know how to proceed in looking for Damayanti or reclaiming his kingdom. Both husband and wife were separately waiting for fate to make the next move.
‘We must find my husband,’ she told her father. So, her father appointed a priest called Parnada to travel to each and every kingdom in Bharata-varsha in search of Nala.
Damayanti said, ‘Keep singing these lines as you 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.” Nala only responds to this song.’
Parnada did as told as he traveled up and down the rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati singing Damayanti’s song. Everyone was intrigued by the lyrics, but no one responded to them. Finally, in the kingdom of Ayodhya, ruled by Rituparna, the royal cook, an ugly dwarf called Bahuka responded to the song with another 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 and informed Damayanti of this incident. ‘That’s Nala,’ said Damayanthi with a smile on her face, ‘He still cares for me. That’s why he responded.’
‘But the man who responded is an ugly dwarf and serves as the King’s cook. Not at all like the handsome Nala I remember from your marriage,’ said Parnada.
She came up with an idea to get Nala to Vidarbha. She requested Sudev to visit Ayodhya and give the king there a message. ‘Tell him that since there is no trace of Nala, the king of Vidarbha has decided to get Damayanti remarried. He has invited all the kings of the land to his city so that she can choose a husband from among them. Tell him the ceremony will take place on the day that immediately follows your arrival.’
‘The next day! But how will Rituparna reach Vidharbha in one day?’
‘If Nala is in his kingdom, Nala will bring him here, for he is the fastest charioteer in the world. And Rituparna will want to come at any cost, for he was one of my suitors before I married Nala and still desires me.
Sudev was not sure the plan would work, but he followed Damayanti’s instructions. Sure enough, Rituparna offered a huge reward to whoever could take him to Vidarbha in one night. ‘I will,’ said his cook. ‘I will take you there, provided you tell me the secret of rolling dice.’
‘So be it,’ said Rituparna, and the two made their way to Vidarbha, speeding through the forest like a thunderbolt on a chariot. ‘Through the night, as they traveled, the king shared with Bahuka his secret knowledge of dice. By the time the chariot reached Vidarbha at dawn, Bahuka had become an expert in the game.
As soon as the chariot crossed the palace gates, Rituparna and Bahuka saw two children. Bahuka jumped off the chariot and hugged them, and started weeping profusely. ‘Who are these children? And why are you hugging them? And why are you crying? Asked Rituparna. Bahuka did not reply.
‘But he does not look like Nala. He is ugly and short and deformed,’ said the maid.
‘I do not recognize the body, but I do recognize that heart. Follow him and observe him. He may not look like Nala, but he will behave like Nala. And the world around him will treat him royally, for he has the soul of a king.’ Damayanthi said with confidence.
The maid followed Bahuka and, sure enough, saw the most amazing things. ‘The man has magical powers. When he passes through a gate, he does not bend; the gate rises so that he passes with head held high. When given meat to cook a meal, the meat almost cooks itself; the wood bursts forth with fire, and water pours out of the ground.’
‘That man is Nala for sure. He may be poor and ugly, but even the gate of the palace, the firewood, and the water in the ground acknowledge his royal aura. They rise up to greet him,’ explained Damayanti.
Without any consideration for those around, Damayanti ran to the stables and hugged Bahuka, shouting, ‘Nala, Nala. ’ Rituparna was shocked, and her parents were embarrassed. How could this ugly servant be Nala, the handsomest of men?
Bahuka then spoke up, ‘Yes, I am Nala. In the forest, after I left Damayanti, I came upon Karkotaka, a dreaded Naga, who, with his venomous breath, transformed me into the ugliest of men. He then advised me to gain employment with the king of Ayodhya, and learned from him the art of playing dice. My ugliness and my servitude were punishments to make me see the errors of my ways.’
Rituparna found all that he was hearing too fantastic to believe. So Bahuka pulled out a magic robe given to him by the Naga Karkotaka. He wrapped it around his body and was instantly transformed into his original, beautiful self. With that, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind: Bahuka was indeed Nala,
After thanking Rituparna for all his help, Nala hugged his wife and children. The terrible days of misfortune and separation were over. They were together once again.
A few days later, Nala visited what was once his kingdom and challenged his cousin to a game of dice. ‘If I lose, you can have my beautiful wife, ’ he said, motivating Pushkara to take up the challenge. This time, however, Nala won, thanks to the trick Rituparna taught him.
Nala and Damayanti then lived happily thereafter, and they did not forget the swan who had so sportingly taken their messages of love.
Princess Damayanti is the embodiment of the divine feminine who stirs our hearts and awakens us to the secret of love. Damayanthi comes across as a strong-willed woman who is unafraid of her husband’s misfortunes. She never stops loving him and always stands by him. Nala, though consumed by shame and guilt over the loss of his kingdom and fortune, and separated from his wife and children, ultimately succeeds in regaining everything due to his determination and willingness to grow in love. This is a great story of love and binding together in adversity, and ultimately, they succeed in their tryst with destiny.
The many messengers of love, but none like Hamsaduta, who enabled the best pair to become acquainted, fall in love, and unite. The great duty of igniting passionate love in the most beautiful and virtuous woman is to choose the handsomest of men with exemplary skills in enduring love.
This great, soul-stirring love epic motivated me to write a post on Johnny’s blog.
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