Notes on Hindu Love Story: Nala and Damayanti and Infinite Regression

Dear readers: A note for the academically minded.

Some of you may be wondering why I am including the story of Nala and Damayanti which unfolds as an episode of the Mahābhārata, where Bridhaswa gives advice to King Yudhisthira in exile. This episode is extracted from the sixth chapter, 53rd section  of the Vana-Parva or 3rd book of the Mahābhārata,  India's great epic,  which comprises no less than  107, 389 Sanskrit shlokas in the anustabha form.  The authorship  of Mahabharata is attributed  to Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa.

The story of Nala and Damayanti  forms no part of the main plot of the narrative poem, and refers to a much earlier  period of Indian history, a time when Indra the raingod  held greater sway over the residents  of Bharata-Varsha.

 The Mahabharata contains  many digressions and stories  used to illustrate its greater themes.  This may be seen as a literary technique common to many oriental narratives such as the
Arabic  Thousand and One Nights which  employs a number of frame  stories  in an almost infinite regression.  (The "One" night in the title refers to the night on which, exhausted, Sheherezade can't think of another story to tell, so she tells the king, "Once upon a time, there was a girl named Scheherezade," and tells her own story. As Jorge Luis Borges points out this leads to an endless loop where every thousand nights, Scheherezade recapitulates her own story, which so becomes infinite.  Jorge Luis Borges called the 1001 nights a labyrinth of labyrinths, a circular novel of endless concantenations, an infinite and circular story, "un cuento circular yinfinito." http://elpais.com/diario/2005/12/17/cultura/1134774008_850215.html

While long at 100,00 verses, the Mahabharata is not infinite. Still, the infinite is always under discussion. With its use of frame stories, the Mahabharata anticipates the 1001 Nights, but its use of espejismo or Borgian "infinite and circular regression," is more subtle. This subtlety revolves around karma.

One of the important themes of the Mahabharat,  of course,  is karma.  As we have seen in the discussion of the Bhagavad-Gita, karma is a difficult theme.  It is in one sense an  endless progression of cause and effect. Any one human story is the story of infinite regression; a messy series of lives each one dependent on the actions and reactions of the former life. It is not truly infinite in an absolute sense, sinse the soul is eternal and will one day escape the circle of birth and death. But karma binds us in that circle. To ferret out why we are in a particular situation according to our karma is subtle:  involves the action and reaction of our past life.  As the narrative found in the Mahabharata  often contemplates the actions and reactions that take place over a number of past lives its scope is infinite. The temporal planes found in Mahabharata easily eclipse the 1001
 Nights, since the  discussion of all the former lives of ts cast of thousands of characters never ends. The study of Mahabharat began before the birth of Alexander the Great and continues today. It is not the story of a thousand or even a million and one nights, but the perpetual story of karmic incarnation and reincarnation, billions of nights long.



One of the principal characters, Bhishma,  for example  has taken his birth  as the result of a curse;  he's being punished for having stolen  the mystic cow of the sage Vasistha.  And so, often before we can proceed in the action of the story, we pause to contemplate the back story and past lives of the characters and heros.  just as we think we know a particular individual in the story we discover  the past life of that character. The whole  effect is that of a Russian doll, a Matryoshka.

We open a larger doll only to find a smaller doll within, one that contains a still smaller doll.  It is as if we are sitting  in a barber's chair looking at the mirror before us and seeing the mirror behind us as the mirrors revealed an infinite number of selves.  The effect of infinite regression  allows us to contemplate  our place in the universe  as an individual soul passing through a myriad number of incarnations.  And even when the narrative of the Mahabharata  does not venture into past lives, the constant digression into the ancient dynasty of King Bharata  continues the effect of infinite  regression.

Yudhisthira Maharaja is trying to understand his situation, to achieve a proper adjustment mentally,  so that he can go forward and meet the challenges he faces in exile before confronting his cousins in the great war ahead.

The sage Brihad Aswa  consoles him with the story of Nala.  The story does not touch on any past life.  And yet Nala's  story has so many parallels  with that of the exiled king that it cannot be ignored.   Like Yudhisthira, Nala is gifted by the gods.  He also loses everything through a dice game. Nala's wife must choose between 5 husbands. He is also exiled into the forest. He must live incognito in a foreign kingdom. Damayanti, like Draupadi, must live incognito as the serving maid of a foreign queen. Nala also finds his kingdom returned.

The parallels are so striking that the story of Nala  is sometimes considered by critics  to have been a kind of Ur-Mahabharata, a neb-version of the eventual story of the Pandavas and Kurus, perhaps  a historical fragment.  The prominence given to the deities Indra, Agni, Varuna, and Yama  and the absence of illusion  to Shiva and Brahma  seem to connect the narrative more with the Vedic and ancient.

According to the great sanskrit poet Kalidāsa, Nala  was probably born of the solar line or vamṣa  coming from King Raghu to Dāśaratha, Rāma, Kuśa, Atithi, and Nishadha.  Both the antiquity of the story of Nala as well as its long tradition speak for its veracity.  And yet many students of the Maha Bharat gloss over the story or consider  it to be apocryphal, since it lacks a certain moral outcome. And yet the story is important since it demonstrates the influence of Kali  upon a virtuous king. When the demonic Kali  possesses Nala,  he falls victim to the same place that later obsesses Yudhisthira: gambling.  Both Nala and Yudhisthira lose their kingdom to gambling at dice.  And thus it may be seen  that gambling is considered to be a vice very early in the history of Indian tradition.

The story of Nala  appears not only as an episode in the Mahabharata but also forms the subject of two other celebrated poems, the Nalodaya of Kalidāsa, and the Naishadha  of Śrī Harsha.  Somadeva Bhaṭṭa in kathā-sarita-sāgara has continued the tradition as has Trivikrama in Nala-Champu, as well as a well-known work in Tamil, the Nala-Rājā,  and a work in Telugu by the poet Rāghava in around 1650 AD.

 As for my own efforts, in the history of Indian literature has often been a commonplace to write compositions following in the footsteps of earlier poets. Whether through translation, adaptation or retelling, the narratives of the tradition have been preserved and amplified often resulting in original works. The story of Nala is no exception to this treatment. I hope this version will shine light on the original sanskrit version which the reader is encouraged to peruse.

 In this retelling I'm doing my best to create a modern version of this ancient Hindu love story while remaining faithful to the spirit of the original.  Those who are interested in the original Sanskrit may find excellent versions online.   As far as authenticity, my own version is based on the text found in the excellent manuscript of the Mahābhārata  belonging to the India Office and Bodlean libraries.   This text  was the basis for the translation made by Henry Millman in 1882  and subsequently edited and republished by Sir Monier Monier Williams,  compiler of the famous Sanskrit dictionary.  At the same time I have at my disposition  the masterful 12 volume edition of Mahabharata translated by Kishori Mohan Ganguli in the 1890s.  I rely on these texts  for my own retelling.



 Reading and translating the story of Nala and Damayanti is excellent practice for budding sanskritists. For the academically minded, I include the excerpt which corresponds to the fragment I published this morning, titled, "Clones of Nala." http://mexpostfact.blogspot.com/2015/09/mortal-and-immortal-love-wedding-of.html

Here it is in Sanskrit...

1 बृहदश्व उवाच

      अथ काले शुभे पराप्ते तिथौ पुण्ये कषणे तथा

      आजुहाव महीपालान भीमॊ राजा सवयंवरे

  2 तच छरुत्वा पृथिवीपालाः सर्वे हृच्छयपीडिताः

      तवरिताः समुपाजग्मुर दमयन्तीम अभीप्सवः

  3 कनकस्तम्भरुचिरं तॊरणेन विराजितम

      विविशुस ते महारङ्गं नृपाः सिंहा इवाचलम

  4 तत्रासनेषु विविधेष्व आसीनाः पृथिवीक्षितः

      सुरभिस्रग्धराः सर्वे सुमृष्टमणिकुण्डलाः

  5 तां राजसमितिं पूर्णां नागैर भॊगवतीम इव

      संपूर्णां पुरुषव्याघ्रैर वयाघ्रैर गिरिगुहाम इव

  6 तत्र सम पीना दृश्यन्ते बाहवः परिघॊपमाः

      आकारवन्तः सुश्लक्ष्णाः पञ्चशीर्षा इवॊरगाः

  7 सुकेशान्तानि चारूणि सुनासानि शुभानि च

      मुखानि राज्ञां शॊभन्ते नक्षत्राणि यथा दिवि

  8 दमयन्ती ततॊ रङ्गं परविवेश शुभानना

      मुष्णन्ती परभया राज्ञां चक्षूंसि च मनांसि च

  9 तस्या गात्रेषु पतिता तेषां दृष्टिर महात्मनाम

      तत्र तत्रैव सक्ताभून न चचाल च पश्यताम

  10 ततः संकीर्त्यमानेषु राज्ञां नामसु भारत

     ददर्श भैमी पुरुषान पञ्च तुल्याकृतीन इव

 11 तान समीक्ष्य ततः सर्वान निर्विशेषाकृतीन सथितान

     संदेशाद अथ वैधर्भी नाभ्यजानान नलं नृपम

     यं यं हि ददृशे तेषां तं तं मेने नलं नृपम

 12 सा चिन्तयन्ती बुद्ध्याथ तर्कयाम आस भामिनी

     कथं नु देवाञ जानीयां कथं विद्यां नलं नृपम

 13 एवं संचिन्तयन्ती सा वैदर्भी भृशदुःखिता

     शरुतानि देवलिङ्गानि चिन्तयाम आस भारत

 14 देवानां यानि लिङ्गानि सथविरेभ्यः शरुतानि मे

     तानीह तिष्ठतां भूमाव एकस्यापि न लक्षये

 15 सा विनिश्चित्य बहुधा विचार्य च पुनः पुनः

     शरणं परति देवानां पराप्तकालम अमन्यत

 16 वाचा च मनसा चैव नमः कारं परयुज्य सा

     देवेभ्यः पराञ्जलिर भूत्वा वेपमानेदम अब्रवीत

 17 हंसानां वचनं शरुत्वा यथा मे नैषधॊ वृतः

     पतित्वे तेन सत्येन देवास तं परदिशन्तु मे

 18 वाचा च मनसा चैव यथा नाभिचराम्य अहम

     तेन सत्येन विबुधास तम एव परदिशन्तु मे

 19 यथा देवैः स मे भर्ता विहितॊ निषधाधिपः

     तेन सत्येन मे देवास तम एव परदिशन्तु मे

 20 सवं चैव रूपं पुष्यन्तु लॊकपालाः सहेश्वराः

     यथाहम अभिजानीयां पुण्यश्लॊकं नराधिपम

 21 निशम्य दमयन्त्यास तत करुणं परिदेवितम

     निश्चयं परमं तथ्यम अनुरागं च नैषधे

 22 मनॊविशुद्धिं बुद्धिं च भक्तिं रागं च भारत

     यथॊक्तं चक्रिरे देवाः सामर्थ्यं लिङ्गधारणे

 23 सापश्यद विबुधान सर्वान अस्वेदान सतब्धलॊचनान

     हृषितस्रग रजॊहीनान सथितान अस्पृशतः कषितिम

 24 छायाद्वितीयॊ मलानस्रग रजःस्वेदसमन्वितः

     भूमिष्ठॊ नैषधश चैव निमेषेण च सूचितः

 25 सा समीक्ष्य ततॊ देवान पुण्यश्लॊकं च भारत

     नैषधं वरयाम आस भैमी धर्मेण भारत

 26 विलज्जमाना वस्त्रान्ते जग्राहायतलॊचना

     सकन्धदेशे ऽसृजच चास्य सरजं परमशॊभनाम

     वरयाम आस चैवैनं पतित्वे वरवर्णिनी

 27 ततॊ हा हेति सहसा शब्दॊ मुक्तॊ नराधिपैः

     देवैर महर्षिभिश चैव साधु साध्व इति भारत

     विस्मितैर ईरितः शब्दः परशंसद्भिर नलं नृपम

 28 वृते तु नैषधे भैम्या लॊकपाला महौजसा

     परहृष्टमनसः सर्वे नलायाष्टौ वरान ददुः

 29 परत्यक्षदर्शनं यज्ञे गतिं चानुत्तमां शुभाम

     नैषधाय ददौ शक्रः परीयमाणः शचीपतिः

 30 अग्निर आत्मभवं परादाद यत्र वाञ्छति नैषधः

     लॊकान आत्मप्रभांश चैव ददौ तस्मै हुताशनः

 31 यमस तव अन्नरसं परादाद धर्मे च परमां सथितिम

     अपां पतिर अपां भावं यत्र वाञ्छति नैषधः

 32 सरजं चॊत्तमगन्धाढ्यां सर्वे च मिथुनं ददुः

     वरान एवं परदायास्य देवास ते तरिदिवं गताः

 33 पार्थिवाश चानुभूयास्य विवाहं विस्मयान्विताः

     दमयन्त्याः परमुदिताः परतिजग्मुर यथागतम

 34 अवाप्य नारीरत्नं तत पुण्यश्लॊकॊ ऽपि पार्थिवः

     रेमे सह तया राजा शच्येव बलवृत्रहा

 35 अतीव मुदितॊ राजा भराजमानॊ ऽ शुमान इव

     अरञ्जयत परजा वीरॊ धर्मेण परिपालयन

 36 ईजे चाप्य अश्वमेधेन ययातिर इव नाहुषः

     अन्यैश च करतुभिर धीमान बहुभिश चाप्तदक्षिणैः

 37 पुनश च रमणीयेषु वनेषूपवनेषु च

     दमयन्त्या सह नलॊ विजहारामरॊपमः

 38 एवं स यजमानश च विहरंश च नराधिपः

     ररक्ष वसुसंपूर्णां वसुधां वसुधाधिपः

1 bṛhadaśva uvāca

      atha kāle śubhe prāpte tithau puṇye kṣaṇe tathā

      ājuhāva mahīpālān bhīmo rājā svayaṃvare

  2 tac chrutvā pṛthivīpālāḥ sarve hṛcchayapīḍitāḥ

      tvaritāḥ samupājagmur damayantīm abhīpsavaḥ

  3 kanakastambharuciraṃ toraṇena virājitam

      viviśus te mahāraṅgaṃ nṛpāḥ siṃhā ivācalam

  4 tatrāsaneṣu vividheṣv āsīnāḥ pṛthivīkṣitaḥ

      surabhisragdharāḥ sarve sumṛṣṭamaṇikuṇḍalāḥ

  5 tāṃ rājasamitiṃ pūrṇāṃ nāgair bhogavatīm iva

      saṃpūrṇāṃ puruṣavyāghrair vyāghrair giriguhām iva

  6 tatra sma pīnā dṛśyante bāhavaḥ parighopamāḥ

      ākāravantaḥ suślakṣṇāḥ pañcaśīrṣā ivoragāḥ

  7 sukeśāntāni cārūṇi sunāsāni śubhāni ca

      mukhāni rājñāṃ śobhante nakṣatrāṇi yathā divi

  8 damayantī tato raṅgaṃ praviveśa śubhānanā

      muṣṇantī prabhayā rājñāṃ cakṣūṃsi ca manāṃsi ca

  9 tasyā gātreṣu patitā teṣāṃ dṛṣṭir mahātmanām

      tatra tatraiva saktābhūn na cacāla ca paśyatām

  10 tataḥ saṃkīrtyamāneṣu rājñāṃ nāmasu bhārata

     dadarśa bhaimī puruṣān pañca tulyākṛtīn iva

 11 tān samīkṣya tataḥ sarvān nirviśeṣākṛtīn sthitān

     saṃdeśād atha vaidharbhī nābhyajānān nalaṃ nṛpam

     yaṃ yaṃ hi dadṛśe teṣāṃ taṃ taṃ mene nalaṃ nṛpam

 12 sā cintayantī buddhyātha tarkayām āsa bhāminī

     kathaṃ nu devāñ jānīyāṃ kathaṃ vidyāṃ nalaṃ nṛpam

 13 evaṃ saṃcintayantī sā vaidarbhī bhṛśaduḥkhitā

     śrutāni devaliṅgāni cintayām āsa bhārata

 14 devānāṃ yāni liṅgāni sthavirebhyaḥ śrutāni me

     tānīha tiṣṭhatāṃ bhūmāv ekasyāpi na lakṣaye

 15 sā viniścitya bahudhā vicārya ca punaḥ punaḥ

     śaraṇaṃ prati devānāṃ prāptakālam amanyata

 16 vācā ca manasā caiva namaḥ kāraṃ prayujya sā

     devebhyaḥ prāñjalir bhūtvā vepamānedam abravīt

 17 haṃsānāṃ vacanaṃ śrutvā yathā me naiṣadho vṛtaḥ

     patitve tena satyena devās taṃ pradiśantu me

 18 vācā ca manasā caiva yathā nābhicarāmy aham

     tena satyena vibudhās tam eva pradiśantu me

 19 yathā devaiḥ sa me bhartā vihito niṣadhādhipaḥ

     tena satyena me devās tam eva pradiśantu me

 20 svaṃ caiva rūpaṃ puṣyantu lokapālāḥ saheśvarāḥ

     yathāham abhijānīyāṃ puṇyaślokaṃ narādhipam

 21 niśamya damayantyās tat karuṇaṃ paridevitam

     niścayaṃ paramaṃ tathyam anurāgaṃ ca naiṣadhe

 22 manoviśuddhiṃ buddhiṃ ca bhaktiṃ rāgaṃ ca bhārata

     yathoktaṃ cakrire devāḥ sāmarthyaṃ liṅgadhāraṇe

 23 sāpaśyad vibudhān sarvān asvedān stabdhalocanān

     hṛṣitasrag rajohīnān sthitān aspṛśataḥ kṣitim

 24 chāyādvitīyo mlānasrag rajaḥsvedasamanvitaḥ

     bhūmiṣṭho naiṣadhaś caiva nimeṣeṇa ca sūcitaḥ

 25 sā samīkṣya tato devān puṇyaślokaṃ ca bhārata

     naiṣadhaṃ varayām āsa bhaimī dharmeṇa bhārata

 26 vilajjamānā vastrānte jagrāhāyatalocanā

     skandhadeśe 'sṛjac cāsya srajaṃ paramaśobhanām

     varayām āsa caivainaṃ patitve varavarṇinī

 27 tato hā heti sahasā śabdo mukto narādhipaiḥ

     devair maharṣibhiś caiva sādhu sādhv iti bhārata

     vismitair īritaḥ śabdaḥ praśaṃsadbhir nalaṃ nṛpam

 28 vṛte tu naiṣadhe bhaimyā lokapālā mahaujasā

     prahṛṣṭamanasaḥ sarve nalāyāṣṭau varān daduḥ

 29 pratyakṣadarśanaṃ yajñe gatiṃ cānuttamāṃ śubhām

     naiṣadhāya dadau śakraḥ prīyamāṇaḥ śacīpatiḥ

 30 agnir ātmabhavaṃ prādād yatra vāñchati naiṣadhaḥ

     lokān ātmaprabhāṃś caiva dadau tasmai hutāśanaḥ

 31 yamas tv annarasaṃ prādād dharme ca paramāṃ sthitim

     apāṃ patir apāṃ bhāvaṃ yatra vāñchati naiṣadhaḥ

 32 srajaṃ cottamagandhāḍhyāṃ sarve ca mithunaṃ daduḥ

     varān evaṃ pradāyāsya devās te tridivaṃ gatāḥ

 33 pārthivāś cānubhūyāsya vivāhaṃ vismayānvitāḥ

     damayantyāḥ pramuditāḥ pratijagmur yathāgatam

 34 avāpya nārīratnaṃ tat puṇyaśloko 'pi pārthivaḥ

     reme saha tayā rājā śacyeva balavṛtrahā

 35 atīva mudito rājā bhrājamāno 'ṃśumān iva

     arañjayat prajā vīro dharmeṇa paripālayan

 36 īje cāpy aśvamedhena yayātir iva nāhuṣaḥ

     anyaiś ca kratubhir dhīmān bahubhiś cāptadakṣiṇaiḥ

 37 punaś ca ramaṇīyeṣu vaneṣūpavaneṣu ca

     damayantyā saha nalo vijahārāmaropamaḥ

 38 evaṃ sa yajamānaś ca viharaṃś ca narādhipaḥ

     rarakṣa vasusaṃpūrṇāṃ vasudhāṃ vasudhādhipaḥ