Katha: The Story of Nala - Part 1

Nala wins Damayanti's swayamvara

The sage Brihadaswa tells Yudhishthira a tale to console him, of King Nala, who also lost his kingdom to dice, and Princess Damayanti, whose love transcended even divine competition. In this first part, we witness one of the most romantic stories in world literature: how two people fell in love through the words of a golden swan.

Why This Story Was Told

Yudhishthira sat by the fire, his face dark with despair. The exile weighed heavily on him, not the physical hardship, but the shame. He had lost everything at dice. He had failed his brothers and his wife.

"Is there anyone," he asked the sage Brihadaswa who had come to visit, "who has suffered as I have? Who gambled away his kingdom, his wealth, his dignity?"

The sage smiled gently. "There was one, O King, who lost even more than you. His name was Nala, king of Nishadha. Listen to his story, and perhaps your own suffering will seem lighter."

The King Without Equal

Nala was king of Nishadha, a prosperous kingdom in central India. He was famed throughout the land for his virtues:

Yet for all his accomplishments, Nala had one lack: he had not yet married. Suitable princesses were proposed, but none captured his heart.

The Princess Beyond Compare

Meanwhile, in the kingdom of Vidarbha, there lived a princess named Damayanti. She was the daughter of King Bhima (not the Pandava), and her beauty was legendary.

Poets said her eyes put the lotus to shame. Her smile could illuminate dark rooms. Her grace made the apsaras of heaven seem clumsy. Suitors came from every kingdom, princes, kings, even gods, but Damayanti rejected them all.

"I will marry only for love," she told her father. "Not for alliance, not for politics. When I meet the one I am meant for, I will know."

The Golden Messengers

How could Nala and Damayanti, living in distant kingdoms, even learn of each other? The answer came on golden wings.

One day, Nala was walking in his garden when he saw a flock of geese with feathers of pure gold. Enchanted, he captured one. The goose spoke:

"O King, release me, and I will do you a great service. I will fly to Vidarbha and speak of you to Princess Damayanti in words so sweet that she will love you before she ever sees your face."

Nala released the bird. True to its word, the swan flew to Vidarbha, landed before Damayanti, and spoke of Nala:

"In all the three worlds, there is no man equal to Nala in beauty, virtue, and skill. He is to mortal kings what Indra is to the gods. Princess, you are the only woman worthy of him, as he is the only man worthy of you."

Damayanti listened, and something awakened in her heart. She had never seen Nala, but through the swan's words, she knew him. She sent the swan back with a message:

"Tell Nala that Damayanti's heart is already his."

The Longing

From that day, both suffered the sweet agony of love-in-separation. Nala could think of nothing but Damayanti. Damayanti could speak of nothing but Nala. Both grew pale, distracted, unable to eat or sleep.

Damayanti's father, seeing his daughter waste away, understood: she was in love. The cure was obvious.

"I will hold a swayamvara," King Bhima announced. "All eligible princes may come. Let Damayanti choose her husband."

Invitations went out across the world. Word reached Nala, who immediately set out for Vidarbha. Word also reached somewhere else entirely, the realm of the gods.

The Gods Take Interest

Four great gods, Indra, king of heaven; Agni, lord of fire; Varuna, lord of waters; and Yama, lord of death, heard of Damayanti's beauty and decided to attend the swayamvara themselves.

On the way, they encountered Nala traveling toward Vidarbha. Struck by his handsome form, they stopped him.

"Who are you, mortal?" Indra asked. "And where do you travel with such eager speed?"

"I am Nala, king of Nishadha. I go to win Damayanti at her swayamvara."

The gods exchanged glances. Then Indra spoke:

"Nala, you must serve us. Go to Damayanti before the swayamvara. Tell her that four gods seek her hand. Convince her to choose one of us."

Nala was horrified. "How can I plead for rivals when I love her myself? Ask anything else of me!"

"You cannot refuse the gods," Indra said sternly. "We grant you the power to enter her chambers unseen. Deliver our message, and we will know if you speak truly."

The Impossible Mission

Using the power the gods had granted, Nala appeared in Damayanti's private chamber. She was sitting alone, lost in thoughts of the man she had never seen. When she looked up and saw him, tall, handsome, with the bearing of a king, she knew.

"You are Nala," she whispered.

"I am," he said. "But I come not for myself. I am the messenger of the gods. Indra, Agni, Varuna, and Yama, all seek your hand. They ask that you choose one of them at the swayamvara."

Damayanti's eyes filled with tears. "So even you have come to give me to another?"

"I had no choice. But know this, Damayanti, my heart belongs to you. Every word the swan spoke was true. I will love you until I die, whether you marry me or a god."

Damayanti's Vow

Damayanti stood, her tears transforming into determination.

"Hear me, Nala. I will marry no god. I will marry no man but you. At the swayamvara, I will place the garland around your neck, and only yours. Return to your gods and tell them this: Damayanti has chosen."

"But how will you know me from them?" Nala asked. "Gods can take any form. They will appear as me."

"I will know," Damayanti said simply. "Love sees what eyes cannot."

The Swayamvara

The day of the swayamvara arrived. Kings and princes filled the assembly hall, warriors from a hundred lands, each hoping to win the most beautiful woman in the world.

Damayanti entered, carrying the marriage garland. She walked slowly through the hall, looking at each suitor. And then she stopped.

Before her stood not one Nala, but five. Each was identical, same face, same form, same royal bearing. The gods had taken Nala's shape to confuse her.

The hall fell silent. How could she possibly choose?

Damayanti closed her eyes and prayed.

"If I have been true in my devotion, if my heart is pure, let the gods reveal themselves. Let me see Nala as he truly is."

The Choice

When she opened her eyes, she could suddenly perceive what no one else could:

The gods, for all their power, could not perfectly imitate mortality. The small imperfections, sweat, dust, mortality itself, revealed the human king among the divine pretenders.

Damayanti walked directly to the true Nala and placed the garland around his neck.

"I choose you," she said. "I have always chosen you."

The Gods' Blessing

The four gods revealed their true forms, radiant, magnificent, filling the hall with divine light. But they were not angry. They were delighted.

"Damayanti," Indra said, "your devotion and wisdom have impressed us. You saw through our disguise because your love was true. Such love deserves reward."

Each god granted a boon to the couple:

• Indra: "Nala shall be able to see me whenever he performs sacrifices."
• Agni: "Fire shall always be at Nala's command, serving him in cooking and ritual."
• Varuna: "Water shall come at Nala's call."
• Yama: "Nala's food shall always be pure and delicious."

These boons seemed generous. They were. But there was one god who was not pleased, a god who had not been invited, who watched from the shadows with jealous eyes.

Kali, the spirit of the dark age, had also desired Damayanti. And Kali was patient. Kali could wait.

The Happy Years

Nala and Damayanti married in a ceremony that all the kingdoms remembered. They returned to Nishadha, where Damayanti became a beloved queen. Two children were born, a son named Indrasena and a daughter named Indrasena.

For years, they lived in perfect happiness. Nala ruled wisely. Damayanti managed the household with grace. The kingdom prospered.

But in the shadows, Kali waited. Twelve years he watched for an opening, a moment of weakness, a lapse in dharma. And finally, that moment came.

The Shadow's Opportunity

One day, Nala performed his evening rituals carelessly. He did not wash his feet properly before worship. This small breach of ritual purity, seemingly insignificant, created an opening.

Kali entered Nala's mind.

From that moment, the great king began to change. He became irritable, distracted. His love of gambling, always a minor interest, became an obsession. He began to seek out games of dice with increasing frequency.

"What has happened to my husband?" Damayanti wondered. "He seems like a different person."

She did not know that in the world of spirits, Kali had found an ally, Nala's own brother Pushkara, who harbored secret envy of the king. Together, they set a trap.

Pushkara challenged Nala to a game of dice.

The Mirror of Yudhishthira

At this point in the story, Brihadaswa paused.

"Do you see, Yudhishthira? Nala too was challenged to dice. Nala too was possessed by forces beyond his control. What happened next will show you that your story is not yet finished, and that the darkest hour comes before dawn."

Yudhishthira leaned forward. For the first time since the exile began, he felt something other than despair.

He felt hope.