INDIA. PART III.

Slay me not, O gentle Raja, and I will so praise thee in HISTORY OF the presence of Damayantí, that she shall think of no other man but thee." So Nala set it free, and the bird of golden wing flew away with all its companions to the city of Vidarbha, and entered the garden of Raja Bhíma. And the beautiful Damayantí was sporting with her maidens in the garden, when they all beheld a flock of swans who dropped their golden plumes; and the slender-waisted damsels chased the bright birds about the garden, when suddenly a swan turned round to Damayantí, and said in the language of The swan men :-"O Damayantí, thou art the loveliest of maidens, mission. and Nala is the handsomest of heroes; if the peerless wed the peerless how happy will be the union." Then the royal maiden softly said to the bird :-" Speak the same words to Nala!" And the bird fluttered its golden wings, and flew away to Nishadha, and told all to Nala.

performs its

Damayanti.

Meantime the beautiful maiden grew pale and dejected Melancholy of in her father's Court at Vidarbha. She could not sleep, she often wept, she found no joy in banquets or in conversation, and she gazed upon the sky at night-time with a look of wild distraction; for her heart was wholly possessed with a deep love for Nala. So the maidens told her royal father that Damayantí was fading away into a deep melancholy. And the Raja of Vidarbha said :-" My daughter is full grown, and Raja Bhima must be given away in marriage." And he sent Brahmans Swayamvara. round the world to proclaim a Swayamvara; and all the Rajas of the earth who had heard of the divine loveliness of Assembling of Damayantí, flocked to the Court of Bhíma, with all the pomp Vidarbha. of chariots and horses, and elephants, and armies. And Bhíma welcomed them all with due courtesy and entertained them well.

proclaims a

the Rajas at

sage, carries the Swayamvara to

Now at this time the holy sage Nárada ascended on Nárada, the high to the heaven of Indra. And Indra gave him honour- news of the able welcome, and said :-"Where, O sage, are all the Rajas, Indra. that they come not to my abode?" And Nárada replied: -"O cloud-compeller, all the Rajas and their mighty sons have gone to the Swayamvara of Damayantí, for she, the loveliest of maidens, is about to choose a husband for her

INDIA.

PART III.

Indra, Agni,
Varuna, and

Yama set off for

the Swayam

vara.

The gods pre

vail on Nala to

ask Damayanti

to choose one

husband.

HISTORY OF Self." Then the gods were stricken as they heard of the transcendent beauty of Damayantí, and they exclaimed:"We too will go to her Swayamvara!" And Indra, lord of Swarga, and Agni, god of fire, and Varuna, who rules the seas, and Yama, who judges the dead, called for their celestial chariots, and drove through the air to the city of Vidarbha; and as they approached the earth they beheld the hero Nala, as radiant as the sun, and as comely as the god of love; and they stayed their chariots in the blue air, and said to the heroic one :-" O Nala, we pray you to do our bidding." And Nala stood with folded hands, and of them for her said:-"Whatsoever you command, that I will do." So Indra, sovereign of the gods, said to Nala :-"Go now and tell the fair daughter of Bhíma that the four immortal gods have come from heaven to woo her, and that she must choose from amongst them whom she will." But Nala replied :"O spare me this, for I too am enamoured with the damsel, and how can I woo her for another?" But all the gods spoke out with one accord :-" Have you not pledged yourself to do whatsoever we command? Delay not, therefore, nor belie your word." Then Nala said:-"The palace of Bhíma is strongly guarded, and I cannot enter the presence of the maiden." But Indra replied :—"No man shall stop you, only go!" Then Raja Nala entered the palace of Bhíma, and no man hindered him; and he reached the inner apartments, and beheld the beautiful damsel sitting amongst her maidens; and when the damsels saw him they sprang from their seats, and marvelled at his wondrous beauty. And Nala smiled sweetly upon Damayantí, and she with lovely eyes smiled sweetly in return, and said :— "O hero, how came you hither? How have you escaped the guards that my father has set around us?" Then Nala replied:-"O loveliest of damsels, my name is Nala, and I am a messenger from the gods, and through their power I have passed the gates unseen by men: Now the four gods desire to wed you, and pray you to choose one of their number to be your lord." And Damayantí bowed in reverence to the gods, and then smiled again upon Nala

Indra renders
Nala invisible.

:

INDIA. PART III.

Damayanti refuses to choose

any one but

Nala remon

and said :-"O Raja, the language of the golden-plumaged HISTORY OF swan has kindled my soul, and I will choose no other lord but you; and if you spurn my love, I will take poison, or plunge into the water or the fire." And Nala replied "O beautiful maiden, how can you choose a mortal man in Nala. the presence of the bright gods? How can you refuse to strates. be arrayed in heavenly raiment, and bright amaranthine flowers, and all the glory of the celestials? Where is the damsel who would not wed the radiant Agni, god of fire, whose mouths consume the world? Or the bright Indra, sovereign of the gods, at whose dread sceptre all the assemblies of the earth are forced to do justice and work righteousness? Or the majestic Varuna, lord of waters? Or the mighty Yama, judge over all the dead?" But Damayantí Fidelity of trembled at the words of Nala, and her eyes were filled with tears, and she said:" I will pay due homage to all the gods, but you only will I choose to be my lord." And Nala went his way and told to the expectant gods all that Damayantí had said.

2. The Swayamvara of Damayantí.

Damayanti.

Swayamvara.

Rajas in the

At length the day of happy omen, the great day of the The day of the Swayamvara, dawned upon the city of Vidarbha. And all Assembly of the the Rajas, sick with love, passed through the glittering Hall of State. portals, and the court of golden columns, and entered the Hall of State, like lions entering their mountain lairs. And all the Rajas were adorned with fragrant garlands, and rich earrings of costly gems were hanging from their ears. And some had long arms, robust and vigorous as the ponderous battle-mace; whilst others were as soft and delicately rounded as a smooth serpent. With bright and flowing hair, and arched eyebrows, their faces were as radiant as the stars; and they filled the Hall of State, as the serpents fill the under world, or as tigers fill the caves in the mountains. But when Damayantí entered the hall, every eye Damayanti was fixed, and every soul entranced, at her dazzling loveli- enters the Hall. ness; and all the Rajas gazed upon her beauty, and were Each of the stricken with deep and passionate desire. Then the name form of Nala.

four gods assumes the

INDIA. PART III.

Perplexity of
Damayanti.

Her prayer.

her prayer and reveal themselves in their true forms.

HISTORY OF of every Raja was proclaimed aloud, and Damayantí glanced around her at the glittering crowd of suitors, and she saw in her dismay that there were five Nalas in the hall, for each of the four bright gods had taken upon himself the form of Nala. And Damayantí trembled with fear, and after a while she folded her hands in reverence to the gods, and said in sad and humble tones: :- "Since I heard the language of the swan, I have chosen Nala for my lord, and have thought of no other husband: Therefore, O gods, I pray to you, that you resume your own immortal shapes and reveal Nala to me, that I may choose him for my lord The gods grant in the presence of all." And the gods heard the piteous prayer of Damayantí, and they wondered at her steadfast truth and fervent love; and straightway they revealed the tokens of their godhead. Then Damayantí saw the four bright gods, and knew that they were not mortal heroes, for their feet touched not the earth, and their eyes winked not; and no perspiration hung upon their brows, nor dust upon their raiment, and their garlands were as fresh as if the flowers were just gathered. And Damayantí also saw the true Nala, for he stood before her with shadow falling to the ground, and twinkling eyes, and drooping garland; and moisture was on his brow, and dust upon his raiment ; and she knew that he was Nala. Then she went in all maidenly modesty to Nala, and took the hem of his garments, and threw a wreath of radiant flowers round his neck, and thus chose him for her lord. And a sound of wild sorrow burst from all the Rajas; but the gods and sages cried aloud :-" Well done!" And Nala turned to the slender-waisted damsel, and said:-" Since, O maiden with the eye serene, you have chosen me for your husband in the presence of the gods, know that I will be your faithful consort, ever delighting in your words; and so long as my soul shall inhabit this body, I solemnly vow to be thine, Divine gifts of and thine alone." Then the blest pair approached the gods with reverence, and the gods gave rare gifts to Nala. To him Indra gave the sight which sees the Unseen in the sacrifice, and the power to go unhindered where he pleased;

Damayanti discovers Nala and gives him the garland.

Nala's vow to
Damayanti.

the gods to

Nala.

INDIA. PART III.

and Agni gave him the mastery over fire, and power over HISTORY OF the three worlds; and Varuna gave him the mastery over water, and the power of obtaining fresh garlands at will; and Yama gave him a subtile taste for food and eminence in every virtue.

Nala and

Then Raja Bhíma, in his joy and pride, performed the Marriage of marriage rites of his beautiful daughter and her chosen lord, Damayanti. and in due time Raja Nala carried away his bride to his own city. Thus the tiger among Rajas obtained the pearl of maidens; and henceforth the bliss of Nala and Damayantí was equal to that of the giant-slayer Indra and his beautiful Sachí. Radiant and excellent as the sun, Nala ruled all the subjects of his Raj with a just and equal sway. He performed an Aswamedha, with many rich gifts to holy men; and Damayantí bore him two children, a handsome son Damayanti named Indrasen, and a beautiful daughter named Indrasena. a daughter.

3. The Gambling Match between Nala and Pushkara.

bears a son and

Wrath of Kali

at finding that

Nala was chosen

by Damayanti.

Now when the bright gods were returning from the Swayamvara to the heaven of Indra, they met the evil spirit Kali, accompanied by Dwápara." And Indra said to Kali :"Whither art thou going, O Kali?" And Kali replied :— "I am going to the Swayamvara of Damayantí; for I have set my heart upon having her for my bride." And Indra Mirth of Indra. laughed and said :—“ The bridal of Damayantí is ended, for in our presence she chose Raja Nala to be her lord." Then Kali's threat. Kali was filled with rage, and bowing with reverence to the gods, he exclaimed:-" Since she hath preferred a mortal man to the immortal gods, heavy shall be her doom." But the four gods replied:-"It was with our consent that The four gods Damayantí chose her lord; and what maiden would not with Kali.

2 This Kali must not be identified with the black goddess Kálí, who has been identified with the wife of Síva, and was apparently unknown in the Vedic period. On the other hand, the Kali of the present story is a male personification of the Kali age, or the fourth and last age through which the world is now passing, and which is presumed to be one of vice and iniquity. In like manner Dwápara is a personification of the Dwapara age, or third age of the world. These personifications do not appear to belong to the Vedic period, but are the work of a subsequent epoch. In the old Vedic times Kali may have been the demon of the dice.

remonstrate