- Author : Vidwan Sri Ramavithalacharya
- Translator & Illustrator : Smt. Chomini Prakash
Where is Damayanti? Scout!
When Nala–Damayanti disappeared, Damayanti’s father, King Bhīma, trepidatious about his daughter and son-in-law, consulted with his ministers. He called for his trusted aides in seclusion and grouped them. He urged them, “Wise ones! Look for Nala-Damayanti. Who amongst you will find and bring them? He who achieves this will be given a royal donation of land, a village that is as expansive as a town and one lakh cows. Even if you fail in bringing them hither, if you succeed in bringing me information about their whereabouts, i shall award ten thousand cows. Go look for them at once.” Having spoken thus, he gave them an enormous amount of money and sent them.
Despite traversing through several nations and kingdoms, the wise men failed to gather any information about Nala-Damayanti. However, a Brāhmaṇa by the name of Sudēva went looking for her at the kingdom of Chēdi. He sighted Damayanti at the royal palace. The Queen Mother had entrusted the responsibility of feeding the Brāhmaṇas to Damayanti. Sudēva too sat down to partake the meal. When the King was performing the purificatory rite (puṇyāhavācana), Sudēva saw Damayanti standing beside the Princess Sunanda. Observing several subtle indications, he concluded that the damsel who appeared like the effulgence of fire enveloped in curls of smoke, dimmed and emaciated, grieving for her consort was Damayanti. Sudēva ruminated, “This is certainly the Damayanti I have seen in the past. Due to ill fate, she looks like a withered lotus, plucked away from the pond of the Vidarbha dynasty. Pining to behold her consort and oppressed with grief, she bears a gloomy appearance. Indubitably, the husband is the greatest adornment of a woman. Bereft of him, she lacks splendour. I am pained by her woe for she is deserving of felicity.”
Having reflected thus, he approached Damayanti in solitude and divulged to her, “I am Sudēva. I have come looking for you at the command of King Bhīma. Your father, mother and brothers are all well. Your children too are keeping fine. All your relatives are disconsolate at the thought of you. Hundreds of Brāhmaṇas are on the lookout for you.”
Recognising Sudēva as her kin, Damayanti enquired about the wellbeing of all her relatives. As she heard of them, sorrow engulfed her and she wept bitterly. Seeing Damayanti’s plight, Sunanda rushed to the Queen Mother and informed her of Damayanti’s wails as she engaged in a private conversation with a Brāhmaṇa. The Queen Mother summoned the Brāhmaṇa at once and inquired of the antecedents.
Sudēva related, “She is Damayanti, the daughter of the King of Vidarbha. She is the consort of King Nala, the son of Vīrasena of the Nishādha kingdom. Defeated by his brother in a deceitful game of dice, he lost his kingdom and left for the forest along with Damayanti without informing anyone. Hundreds of Brāhmaṇas have been sent out by King Bhīma in search of them. By divine grace, I have met Damayanti here.”
“How did you recognise her as Damayanti?”, enquired the Queen Mother. Sudēva substantiated, “She has been endowed with a red mole on her forehead by Lord Brahma since birth. Having been covered with dust, although the mole appears faint, it’s lustre is evident. Despite being in an oppressive state, the lustrous beauty of Damayanti does not pale.” Hearing these words of Sudēva, the Queen Mother cleansed the dust on Damayanti’s forehead and examined it. She was astonished to find the red mole. Realizing the status of Damayanti, Sunanda and the Queen Mother wept and embraced Damayanti, offering her consolation. The Queen Mother tenderly said, “Dear Damayanti, me and your mother are both daughters of the King Sudāma of the Dāshārṇa kingdom. She was married to King Bhīma and me to King Vīrabāhu. When your mother gave birth to you at our paternal palace at Dāshārna, I was there too. My residence is akin to your mother’s home. Be at peace. As this wealth is yours as much as it is mine. I am ecstatic.”
Damayanti was delighted. She humbly pleaded, “Mother, even before knowing who I was, you have cared for me. Without any laxity, you have offered me comfort and protection. Kindly grant me permission to leave. My heart aches to see my children. It has been long since they were sent away. Deprived of both their father and mother, they have spent their days in grief. If you wish to do what is dear to me, arrange for a chariot for me to return to Vidarbha. “So be it,” said the Queen Mother and she sent Damayanti to Vidarbha in a chariot escorted by the army. When the might of the Kshatriyas and the intelligence of the Brāhmaṇas are combined, any task can be achieved effectively. King Bhīma could locate Damayanti through the Brāhmaṇas. Although fatigued owing to separation from her consort, her piety had not diminished. Destiny itself bore the emblem of eternity and aided in the quest for Damayanti.
The marking on the forehead (tilaka) is a sign of auspiciousness. One should refrain from altering the color of this mark to match the saree. It should be in red color only. Red in sanskr̥t is rāga. The symbols of affection (anurāga) shouldn’t be changed. Removing the symbols of auspiciousness is no beautification. Adorning it is what makes one aesthetic. Bare forehead, bare neck, bare hands, bare back, bare legs; Fuzzy unbraided hair; Painted face that masks the natural beauty; Red lips that seem to have drunk blood from a chest that has just been torn apart; Attire that rouses the rogues – It is a pity to see brusque women who construe this as beautification.
In a nutshell, adornments have be enhance the natural beauty bestowed by the Lord upon women. The body which is a chariot of the Lord has to be santified with auspicious substances. One should recognise it as a blessing by Hima and rejoice in it. The red mark that destiny placed on Damayanti’s forehead naturally, brought her the good fortune of reuniting with her parents, children and husband.
The ornamentation of a woman must be such that it must instil a natural fear in rogues to get close and the virtuous must feel respectful. A woman should not become an object of display. She should be an exemplification.
