Dharma Patni: The Story of Nala - Part 2

Nala loses all to Kali's dice

Possessed by the dark spirit Kali, King Nala descends into gambling madness. He loses his kingdom, his wealth, even the clothes on his back, and finally, in a moment of Kali-driven cruelty, abandons his faithful wife Damayanti in a dangerous forest. This is the story's darkest hour.

The Game Begins

Pushkara, Nala's younger brother, had always lived in his shadow. Now, with Kali whispering in his ear, he saw an opportunity.

"Brother," Pushkara said one day, "I challenge you to a game of dice. Surely the great Nala is not afraid of a friendly wager?"

The old Nala would have recognized the danger. But Kali had taken residence in his mind, stoking the flames of a gambling impulse that had always been minor. Now it consumed him.

"I accept," Nala said. His eyes had a strange gleam that Damayanti had never seen before.

The Descent

The game began, and Nala could not stop losing.

Damayanti watched in horror as her husband threw away everything they had built. She pleaded with him to stop. His ministers begged him to walk away. Even Pushkara, at one point, offered to end the game.

But Kali would not let Nala stop. The spirit fed on the destruction, growing stronger with each loss.

"One more game," Nala would say. "I will win it all back."

He never did.

The Citizens' Grief

The people of Nishadha watched their beloved king destroy himself. They gathered outside the gaming hall, weeping.

"What madness has seized our lord?" they cried. "This is not Nala! Something dark possesses him!"

They were right, of course. But knowing the cause did not stop the catastrophe.

After months of continuous gambling, Nala had lost everything. Pushkara, bloated with ill-gotten gains, declared himself king.

"Leave my kingdom," he told Nala. "You are no longer welcome here. Take only what you wear, and be grateful I spare your life."

Nala, dressed in a single garment, walked out of the palace he had ruled for decades. Behind him, equally destitute, came Damayanti.

Into the Wilderness

The former king and queen wandered into the forest, possessing nothing. For three days, they walked without food. Nala, still possessed by Kali, would not let them stop to gather fruits or seek help.

"We must keep moving," he muttered. "Always moving."

Damayanti walked beside him, barefoot, hungry, exhausted, but her love never wavered.

"Whatever has happened to you," she told him, "I will not leave you. You are my husband. Your suffering is my suffering. We will survive this together."

These words should have moved Nala. The real Nala would have been ashamed, would have fought against whatever force controlled him. But Kali's grip was too strong.

The Terrible Thought

As they walked deeper into the forest, Kali planted a terrible thought in Nala's mind:

She slows you down. Without her, you could travel faster, find work, rebuild your life. She is a burden. Leave her.

Nala tried to resist. Somewhere inside, the true king still existed, still loved his wife. But Kali whispered relentlessly.

She will be better off without you. Her father will take her back. You are destroying her by keeping her with you. Leave her, for her own good.

This twisted logic found purchase in Nala's tormented mind.

The Abandonment

That night, while Damayanti slept exhausted on the forest floor, Nala made his terrible choice.

He looked at his sleeping wife, beautiful even in poverty, faithful even in catastrophe. He knew he loved her. He knew what he was about to do was wrong.

But Kali was stronger.

Nala took off his single garment, the last thing he owned, and tore it in half. He covered Damayanti with one half. The other he wrapped around himself.

Then he walked away into the darkness, leaving his wife alone in a forest filled with wild beasts and bandits.

Damayanti Wakes

When Damayanti woke, she knew immediately that something was wrong. The space beside her was empty. The half-garment covering her told the story.

"Nala!" she cried into the darkness. "NALA!"

No answer came.

She ran through the forest, calling his name, tripping over roots, scratching herself on thorns. But her husband was gone.

In that moment of absolute abandonment, Damayanti could have surrendered to despair. She had lost everything, her palace, her status, her wealth. Now she had lost the one thing she had clung to: the presence of the man she loved.

But Damayanti was not a woman who surrendered.

The Queen's Resolve

Alone in the deadly forest, Damayanti made a decision that would define her:

"This is not my Nala. Something has stolen his mind. I do not know what spirit possesses him, but I know this: somewhere, the true Nala still exists. And I will find him. I will wait for him. I will never stop believing that he will return to me."

She began walking, not aimlessly, but with purpose. She would find her way to civilization. She would survive. And she would search for her husband until she found him or died trying.

Dangers in the Forest

The forest tested Damayanti mercilessly:

A python found her sleeping and began to wrap around her body. A passing hunter killed the snake, then tried to assault her. Damayanti cursed him, and he fell dead on the spot. (Her curse was effective because she was truly virtuous, the power of a pativrata, a faithful wife.)

A caravan of merchants found her wandering and took her with them. But the caravan was attacked by wild elephants, and Damayanti was again alone.

Hunger and thirst plagued her constantly. Her feet bled from walking on rough ground. Her royal skin, unused to exposure, burned and blistered.

But she kept walking.

Finding Shelter

Finally, exhausted beyond endurance, Damayanti stumbled upon the kingdom of Chedi. The queen mother, seeing this bedraggled but obviously noble woman, took pity on her.

"Who are you, child?" the queen asked.

"I am a woman searching for her husband," Damayanti said. She would not reveal her true identity, not yet. "I have nothing but my devotion to him."

The queen mother was moved. "You may stay here as a companion to my daughter, the princess. Work in the palace until you find your husband."

Damayanti accepted gratefully. She had shelter, food, safety. But every night, she prayed for Nala. Every day, she listened for news of a wandering king.

Meanwhile: Nala's Transformation

While Damayanti found refuge, Nala wandered further into madness. Kali drove him onward, not letting him rest, not letting him think clearly.

Then something extraordinary happened.

Nala encountered a great fire consuming the forest. In the flames, he heard a voice:

"Nala! Save me! I am Karkotaka, king of the serpents. A sage's curse traps me in this fire. Only you can release me!"

Despite everything, Nala was still Nala. He could not ignore a plea for help. He walked into the flames, which did not burn him, for fire was his ally from Agni's boon, and carried out the serpent.

But Karkotaka bit him.

The Serpent's Gift

Nala cried out in pain. "Is this how you repay my kindness?"

"Listen, King," the serpent said. "My venom will not harm you. It will transform you. From this moment, you will appear as a dwarfed, ugly man. No one will recognize you, not your enemies, not even your wife."

"Why would you curse me further?" Nala demanded.

"This is not a curse, it is protection. Kali still possesses you. In this disguise, you can work, earn money, regain your skills, all while hidden from those who wish you harm. When the time is right, I will tell you how to regain your true form."

Karkotaka gave Nala a magical garment.

"When you wear this, you will become yourself again. But wait until Kali has left you. Wait until you are ready to reclaim your life."

Nala looked at his new form, twisted, ugly, unrecognizable. Yet somehow, he felt hope for the first time in months.

He had a path forward.

Bahuka the Charioteer

Nala, in his transformed state, traveled to the kingdom of Ayodhya, ruled by King Rituparna. He presented himself as a servant skilled with horses.

"My name is Bahuka," he said. "I know horses better than anyone alive. I can also cook food that will delight any palate."

King Rituparna tested him and was amazed. This ugly dwarf had the most extraordinary skill with horses and the most refined taste in cooking. Where had he come from?

"I was once in the service of King Nala," Bahuka said truthfully. "I learned from the best."

Rituparna hired him immediately.

And so Nala, the great king, became Bahuka, a humble charioteer, waiting for the moment when he could reclaim his life, his kingdom, and his wife.

The Mirror of Suffering

Brihadaswa paused in his telling. Yudhishthira's eyes were wet with tears.

"You see, O King," the sage said, "Nala suffered even more than you. He lost not only his kingdom but his very form. He abandoned the wife he loved, driven by a madness not his own. He was reduced from king to servant."

"But he survived," Yudhishthira said slowly.

"He survived. And more, he found a way back. Damayanti never stopped searching for him. Their love, though tested beyond imagining, was not destroyed."

"Will they reunite?" Yudhishthira asked.

"That," Brihadaswa smiled, "is the next part of the story."