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Vyasa knew the next statement would be hard for them to hear. He looked at Yudhishthira and somberly he said, “He did not wager Damayanti. Their story is different from yours, but similar in many ways.”
“What!” exclaimed Draupadi. “Nala didn’t wager Damayanti. How is their story like ours?”
Yudhishthira looked to the ground and slumped his shoulders, wrinkles on his forehead showed his sadness. “Yes, Vyasa. I don’t understand. How can this be the same? He lost his kingdom but he didn’t lose his wife’s trust in him,” he said in a confused tone.
Vyasa decided he must finish the story quickly. “Not all the details are the same, but the message is what you need. Trust me,” abruptly he said. “Please let’s finish the tale.”
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The fog now lifted from Nala's mind. He was disgusted by the thought of wagering Damayanti. “Absolutely NOT! I concede. I am nothing without her,” he said.
Holding the dice in his hand Pushkara sternly said, “Fine, leave immediately! You are banished from the kingdom and anyone who helps you will be punished by death.” Afterwards, he was surprised by the words that came out of his mouth. He cared for his brother, Nala, but had no idea why he had just responded so viciously towards him.
Dwapara was satisfied. He had caused trouble and made Nala’s brother react in ways he never would have without his influence. However, Kali was not. He was not done wreaking havoc with Nala. He would make him lose Damayanti!
Nala, head hung low, left his kingdom with Damayanti by his side. They had no food to eat, and no water to drink, only the clothes on their bodies.
“Damayanti, see over there? That fork in the road will take you to Vidarbha, your father’s kingdom. Please go. Let me wander by myself for I am not worthy,” he pleaded.
“No! I am not leaving. You need me just as I you. A wife heals her husband’s wounds. We shall go there together and my father will help us,” she replied.
Nala knew she had good intentions with her plan, but he had promised to take care of the king’s daughter. He could not go ask for his help now. “I’m sorry, Damayanti. We cannot ask your father to help me. If you insist on staying by my side we will find somewhere else,” he said.
“Nala, I will be by your side always. I am hungry and you look famished. It has been days since we have eaten,” she said pointedly. They found some nuts, berries, and roots which they ate in silence.
“Damayanti, let’s rest,” he said seeing the exhaustion in her face.
“That sounds wonderful. Just hold me until we wake up,” sweetly she replied.
Together they slept until Kali’s hold on Nala shook him awake. He was surprised by his sudden awakening, but even more by the pressing urge to leave Damayanti alone in the forest. He crept away from his beautiful sleeping wife. He tried to turn back, but Kali’s wicked hold pulled him deeper into the forest.
He had lost track of his location and the time. “Why is this happening to me?” Nala cried out loud in frustration. In the distance, he heard a yell for help. He ran to the sound and saw a fire. He began to run into it to save what or who was in there, but Kali took control of his body forcing him to a sudden stop. “No,” he thought out loud, “I must go help!” He willed his body to move again.
Since Nala was bestowed gifts by the gods who attended Damayanti’s swayamvara, he had power over fire. “Thank you, Agni,” he said passing through the wall of flames. In the center was a serpent. He picked him up from the ground and carried him to safety. As he lay him on the ground, the serpent bit his finger. “Ouch!” Nala yelped.
Remorsefully the serpent said, “I’m sorry, King Nala. That was for your own good. Thank you for saving me. I am the serpent king, Karkotaka. Lately, you’ve been confused and misled. The evil Kali possessed your soul months ago. I bit you because my poison will weaken him. He will be purged from your body when you reunite with Damayanti.”
“What do you mean?” he asked. “I’m possessed? That’s why I’ve acted so ridiculous.” Nala was so relieved to find out this news. “Wait, I was awful to so many people. I left Damayanti alone in the forest days ago. She could be mad, wounded, or even worse.”
“Nala, it has been much longer than that. She spent many months working as a handmaiden in Chedi, waiting for you. A Brahmin brought her back to her father’s kingdom where your children have been since you started the game of dice with Pushkara,” explained Karkotaka.
“She will never forgive me. I left her alone to fend for herself and she had to work just to get by. I am a sorry excuse for a king. She won’t take me back,” worried Nala aloud. “I love her and miss my children both so much my heart aches. I must try to make things right. Karkotaka, thank you for your help.”
“You are most welcome Nala. You’re a worthy king and have been thoughtful of your wife, children, and kingdom every day since the game ended. You didn’t deserve Kali’s wrath; my poison is very painful to him, so he is weakened and you will have no trouble traveling back to Vidarbha. Just one more thing: Kali did not act alone. Dwapara was in the dice causing you to lose everything and your brother to act the way he did. He will mend fences with you easily. Hurry back to your family,” Karkotaka said quickly and disappeared.
Nala raced on to Vidarbha and when he and Damayanti kissed, Kali was finally purged from his body. They enjoyed time with Damayanti’s family before going back to Nishadha where Pushkara welcomed them with an embrace and rightfully returned the kingdom to Nala.
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"Now do you see?" asked Vyasa to both Yudhishthira and Draupadi.
Yudhishthira was the first to speak. "Draupadi, I am sorry for my mistakes. Your belief in me is what I need most. Please, forgive me," he begged.
Draupadi had tears in her eyes as she looked at Yudhishthira and said, "It was a game you could not win. I will always believe in you and our love, just like Damayanti did."
"Vyasa, thank you for helping us. I know that although I made a grave error, as long as I continue to walk the path I am on now I can still persevere," Yudhishthira said with a new light in his eyes.
"Excellent!" Vyasa said happily. "I am glad that you and Draupadi have learned from Nala and Damayanti's tale."
They all said a prayer together and departed ways with relief in their hearts and minds.
Author’s Note:
There is so much more to Nala and Damayanti’s tale, but I couldn’t complete it in just four stories. So, this story is a condensed version which has been changed quite a bit. He does get bitten by the serpent king, but in the source story it deforms him. They spend time in separate kingdoms and getting back together wasn’t as easy as this happy ending. He also had to win back his kingdom. I didn’t want you to be without the knowledge that they did have lives separate from each other which is why the serpent king in my story gives Nala a rundown of what he missed while he was wandering the forest. Plus I also enjoyed being able to give the serpent king a good role that was easy for anyone to see since often the serpents/Nagas are depicted as bad.
The banner image is representative of Nala wandering in the forest, even though as I said the source story has him going to another kingdom(Rituparna) to live out a different life before he meets up with Damayanti again. I enjoyed reading many different versions of Nala and Damayanti, and recommend you to take time to read at least one of them if you like my storybook.
Bibliography:
Nala and Damayanti A Love-Tale of East India Done Out Of The Sanskrit Of The Mahabharata The Oldest Epic Poem of India, Written by: Adelaide Rudolph
Nala and Damayanti and Other Poems Written by:Henry Hart Milman
Image Source (Left) Reunion of Nala and Damayanti By Ramanarayanadatta astri [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
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