Nala and Damayanthi.

Nala  and Damayanthi.

Nala wa the king of  Nishada and was a famous warrior and a very good cook making varieties of food which could make anybody fascinated and a slave of Nala.

One day Nala was in his palace garden and saw a beautiful, golden Swan floating in the pool of the garden. He was so attracted by its beauty, he sent his servants  to catch and bring it to him. The servants caught it and brought it to him. The swan was frightened and shivering. Nala assured it of protection and told it that he caught it just to see its beauty and not for killing it.

The Swan was happy and praised him for his kind hearted and noble gesture and told him that for such a nice and warrior like him a bride is waiting in the kingdom of Vidarbha, the daughter of the King of Vidarbha, a beauty of unparalleled virtues and was the real and suitable wife for him. Nala was impressed and asked the swan to go and tell Damayanthi that he was in love with her and would like to marry her.

The swan went to Damayanthi and told her the handsome and warrior king of Nishad, King Nala was in love with her. She was also fascinated with the description of Nala and consented to marry him.

The king of Vidarbha arranged a Swayamvara (selection of Husband by the bride of her own choice). All princes and kings came to the Swayamvara and Nala also came there. But the gods of Inthra, Agni, Varuna, Yama and Saturn also were interested in marrying her and attended the Swayamvara and knowing the desire of Damayanthi they disguised themselves as Nala and sat there near Nala.

Damayanthi came with her lady escorts and was seeing each one of the princes and was interested only in Nala and was about to find him but was shocked to see so many Nalas sitting there. She was confused and prayed to her god and  wanted to garland only the King Nala and not others. Suddenly she had some idea. The Gods would not close & open their eyes like the humans who open and shut their eyes naturally. Also the devas or gods are not born through natural means and would not have a NAVEL (like normal humans). So she watched each of them and found the real Nala and garlanded him.

She also fell on the feet of the gods and asked their pardon in not choosing them. They blessed her and vanished except the Lord Saturn who was vengeful and wanted to punish Nala  for the insult of not selecting him as her husband and waited for his time. 

One day Nala while doing his evening prayer but did not wash his feet properly and immediately the Saturn entered him. 

One day Nala played Saduranka (chess) with his minister Pushkara who cunningly defeated him and took away all his country, assets and other things and forced him to leave the kingdom. Nala and Damayanthi went to a  very old temple and slept there when he lost his clothes and had to cover himself with half  of the sari of his wife. 

He thought of the pitiable condition he was in and wanted to desert his wife and left her in the jungle and went away so that she could go back to her parents and live comfortably. While going he saw a snake in fire and tried protecting it and when the snake was protected it suddenly bit him and it made him very dark and dwarf. Nala was annoyed and asked the snake why it was do ungrateful? The snake told him that this would make him look different and protect him so saying it went away.

Nala went  and was appointed as a charioteer for the king Rituparma  and showed him  how he  could run the chariot in the speed of thought. The King also taught him the technique of just seeing a tree he could tell the number of leaves in it. Nala also made delicious food and gave the king sumptuous meals which endeared him to the king.

Meanwhile Damayanthi left alone in the forest was worried and searched for him but not able to locate him, went back to her father and remained there with her two children. She was sending spies everywhere to find Nala and bring him back. One day one spy came back to her and said that the cook and charioteer in the Palace of king of Ayodya was a very good cook and a very good charioteer who could run his chariot at the speed of thought. Damayanthi was sure it must be Nala as only he could run chariot at this speed. So she send the same spy back to the king of Ayoadya and to tell the king of a Swayamvara at the palace of king of  Vidarbha the next day.

King of Vidarbha was impressed with the beauty of Damayanthi but was worried how he could go to Vidarbha in one day. Nala was shocked to know of this news of his wife’s Swayamvara but assured the king that he could take him there the next day. They arrived to the palace of the king of Vidarbha but there was no celebrations of a Swayamvara. So they approached the king who introduced them to his daughter Damayanthi who asked Nala to cook a meal. The preparation of the foods and also the speed of the chariot driven had convinced Damayanthi about Nala’s real identity and Nala also confessed of his real person.

 As seven and half years of Saturn was also over Saturn left Nala and Nala got back his own figure and went to his country fought with his minister and got back his kingdom. And they lived long years as King and queen.