''Damayanti'' (
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
: दमयंती) is a character in a love story found in the
Vana Parva
The Vana Parva, also known as the "Book of the Forest", is the third of eighteen parvas in the Indian epic Mahabharata.van Buitenen, J.A.B. (1975) ''The Mahabharata: Book 2: The Book of the Assembly Hall; Book 3: The Book of the Forest''. Chicago, ...
book of the
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...
. She was the daughter of Bhima (not the Pandava one) and a princess of the
Vidarbha Kingdom
The Vidarbha Kingdom in the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata is among the many kingdoms ruled by Yadu kings (Bhoja Yadavas).
It was situated in the region still known as Vidarbha in what is now Maharashtra in the Deccan.
Damayanti, the wife of Nala ...
, who married King
Nala
Nala (Sanskrit: नल) is a character in the ''Vana Parva'' book of the ''Mahabharata''. He was the king of Nishadha Kingdom and the son of Veerasena. Nala was known for his skill with horses and for his culinary expertise. He married prince ...
of the
Nishadha Kingdom
The Nishadha kingdom
(IAST: Niṣadha) was a tribe of ancient India that lived in a country of the same name
History
Veerasena was a king of the Nishadha kingdom, and the father of Nala. Nala, the son of Veerasena, became the king after his fathe ...
. The character is also found in other
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
texts by many authors in numerous Indian languages. She, along with Nala, are the central characters in the 12th century text
Nishadha Charita
''Naishadha Charita'', also known as Naishadhiya Charita (), is a poem in Sanskrit on the life of Nala, the king of Nishadha. Written by Sriharsha, it is considered one of the five ''mahakavyas'' (great epic poems) in the canon of Sanskrit literat ...
, one of the five ''
mahakavya Mahākāvya (lit. great kāvya, court epic), also known as ''sargabandha'', is a genre of Indian epic poetry in Classical Sanskrit. The genre is characterised by ornate and elaborate descriptions of scenery, love, battles and so on — in short, eve ...
s'' (great epic poems) in the canon of Sanskrit literature,
written by
Sriharsha
Shri-harsha (IAST: Śrīharṣa) was a 7th century Indian philosopher and poet. Shri Harsha's works concern Advaita Vedanta, Nyaya and other themes in Hindu Philosophy.
Early life
Śrīharṣa was the son of Śrīhira and Mamalladevī. His fath ...
.
Story
![Damayanti Choosing a Husband by Warwick Goble](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Damayanti_Choosing_a_Husband_by_Warwick_Goble.jpg)
Damayanti was the
Yadava
The Yadava (literally, descended from Yadu) were an ancient Indian people who believed to be descended from Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the Abhira, Andhaka, Vrishni, and Sat ...
princess of
Vidarbha
Vidarbha (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, id̪əɾbʱə is a geographical region in the east of the Indian state of Maharashtra and a Proposed states and union territories of India#Maharashtra, proposed state of central India, comprising th ...
Kingdom. One day, a beautiful swan came to her and told her about
Nala
Nala (Sanskrit: नल) is a character in the ''Vana Parva'' book of the ''Mahabharata''. He was the king of Nishadha Kingdom and the son of Veerasena. Nala was known for his skill with horses and for his culinary expertise. He married prince ...
, king of
Nishadha
The Nishadha kingdom
(IAST: Niṣadha) was a tribe of ancient India that lived in a country of the same name
History
Veerasena was a king of the Nishadha kingdom, and the father of Nala. Nala, the son of Veerasena, became the king after his fathe ...
. The swan was sent by Nala after hearing about her from it. After hearing about Nala, she was impressed with him and wanted to marry him. A
swayamvara
Svayamvara ( sa, स्वयंवर, svayaṃvara, translit-std=IAST), in ancient India, was a method of marriage in which a woman chose a man as her husband from a group of suitors. In this context, in Sanskrit means 'self' and means 'g ...
was organized by Damayanti's father and Nala was also invited. Damayanti chose Nala out of the kings and princes and married. After a few years, they had two children.
After many years of happiness,
Pushkara
In Hindu theology Pushkara was the brother of Nala to whom Nala lost his kingdom and all that he possessed in gambling. Shani got very angry when Damayanti chose Nala in the swayamvar. Shani possessed Nala
Nala (Sanskrit: नल) is a cha ...
, Nala's cousin, offered Nala to play a game. A rule was that the winner would get the loser's kingdom and the loser would go for an exile for three years. Nala lost the game and along with Damayanti went to the forest. Their children were given to Damayanti's father. Life was not easy for them and they struggled and wandered in the forest. One day when Damayanti was sleeping, Nala woke up and walked nearby.
![Raja_Ravi_Varma,_Damayanti_Vanavasa](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Raja_Ravi_Varma%2C_Damayanti_Vanavasa.jpg)
He then suddenly saw a Naga god in fire and he saved him. The Naga god in return changed Nala's appearance and told him to learn the skill of the game from the king
Rituparna
Rutuparna (IAST): Rutuparṇa ( hi, ऋतुपर्ण) was a king of Ayodhya, and son of Sarvakama, into whose service king Nala entered after he had lost his kingdom. Rutuparna was a master mathematician and profoundly skilled in dice Kali ...
of
Ayodhya
Ayodhya (; ) is a city situated on the banks of holy river Saryu in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Ayodhya, also known as Sāketa, Saketa, is an ancient city of India, the birthplace of Rama and ...
so that he could get back his kingdom. Nala went to Ayodhya without informing Damayanti, which left her searching for him. Damayanti was attacked by a python but it was killed by a hunter. Captivated by Damayanti's beauty, the hunter tried to force himself on her but she cursed him to be burnt into ashes.
![Damayanthi cursed of burning a man](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Damayanthi_cursed_of_burning_a_man.jpg)
After the hunter was burnt, Damayanti was rescued by a group of traders. However one night a herd of elephants destroyed the traders' belongings and the traders started to beat Damayanti as they thought she had brought them bad luck. Running for her life, Damayanti reached Viprapur. There she was chosen as the maid by the queen, Bhanumati. One day, a minister recognized who the maid was and brought her back to Vidarbha. Later she sent a question to all kingdoms to identify where Nala was. Nala answered the question and he was called to Vidarbha. There he reunited with Damayanti and they went to Nishada. Nala challenged Puskara but this time Pushkara lost. Nala got his kingdom back and he lived a happy life with Damayanti.
Translations
Norman Mosley Penzer
Norman Mosley Penzer (30 September 1892 – 27 November 1960) — known as N. M. Penzer — was a British independent scholar and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society who specialised in Oriental studies. He translated the tale o ...
translated the tale of Nala and Damayanti in 1926 into
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
.
See also
*
The Story of Nal and Damayanti in Bhakti and Sufism Accounts
The story of Nal and Damayanti from the ''Mahabharata'' is a very popular and frequently told story. It has been interpreted in many languages which also includes Persian and Braj. This page describes the interpretations of the story conducted ...
*''
Damajanti'', a 1903 cantata by
Max Bruch
Max Bruch (6 January 1838 – 2 October 1920) was a German Romantic composer, violinist, teacher, and conductor who wrote more than 200 works, including three violin concertos, the first of which has become a prominent staple of the standard v ...
based on the poem ''Nala and Damajanti''
by
Friedrich Rückert
Friedrich Rückert (16 May 1788 – 31 January 1866) was a German poet, translator, and professor of Oriental languages.
Biography
Rückert was born in Schweinfurt and was the eldest son of a lawyer. He was educated at the local '' Gymnasium'' ...
, with excerpts from a poem by
Heinrich Bulthaupt
Heinrich Bulthaupt (October 26, 1849 – August 20, 1905) was a German poet, dramatic author, and lawyer, as well as librarian of his native town, Bremen. Many of Bulthaupt's works found considerable widespread popularity in the lyrical and d ...
.
*
Odysseus
Odysseus ( ; grc-gre, Ὀδυσσεύς, Ὀδυσεύς, OdysseúsOdyseús, ), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses ( , ; lat, UlyssesUlixes), is a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the ''Odyssey''. Odysse ...
and
Penelope
Penelope ( ; Ancient Greek: Πηνελόπεια, ''Pēnelópeia'', or el, Πηνελόπη, ''Pēnelópē'') is a character in Homer's ''Odyssey.'' She was the queen of Ithaca and was the daughter of Spartan king Icarius and naiad Periboea. Pe ...
References
Further reading
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External links
The Naishadha-Charita (story of Nala and Damayanti)English translation by K. K. Handiqui
roofread(includes glossary)
Story of Nala and Damayanti English TranslationStory of Nala and Damayanti from Mahabharata
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Characters in Hindu mythology
Characters in the Mahabharata