Kali Enters Nala; the Dicing with Pushkara

Verse 1 (3.56.1)

एवं स समयं कृत्वा द्वापरेण कलिः सह । आजगाम ततस्तत्र यत्र राजा स नैषधः ॥

evaṃ sa samayaṃ kṛtvā dvāpareṇa kaliḥ saha | ājagāma tatastatra yatra rājā sa naiṣadhaḥ

Having made this compact with Dvapara, Kali came to the place where the king of the Nishadhas was.

Note on the text: Corrected यत्रराजा → यत्र राजा (word-spacing slip in Wikisource; the critical edition has yatra rājā).

Verse 2 (3.56.2)

स नित्यमन्तरप्रेक्षी निषधेष्ववसच्चिरम् । अथास्य द्वादशे वर्षे ददर्श कलिरन्तरम् ॥

sa nityamantaraprekṣī niṣadheṣvavasacciram | athāsya dvādaśe varṣe dadarśa kalirantaram

Ever watching for an opening, he lived a long time among the Nishadhas. Then, in the twelfth year, Kali saw his opening.

Verse 3 (3.56.3)

कृत्वा मूत्रमुपस्पृश्य संध्यामन्वास्त नैषधः । अकृत्वा पादयोः शौचं तत्रैनं कलिराविशत् ॥

kṛtvā mūtramupaspṛśya saṃdhyāmanvāsta naiṣadhaḥ | akṛtvā pādayoḥ śaucaṃ tatrainaṃ kalirāviśat

After passing urine, the king of the Nishadhas touched water and sat down to his evening worship without washing his feet; and there Kali entered him.

Verse 4 (3.56.4)

स समाविश्य च नलं समीपं पुष्करस्य च । गत्वा पुष्करमाहेदमेहि दीव्य नलेन वै ॥

sa samāviśya ca nalaṃ samīpaṃ puṣkarasya ca | gatvā puṣkaramāhedamehi dīvya nalena vai

Having entered Nala, Kali went also to Pushkara and said to him, "Come, play at dice with Nala.

Verse 5 (3.56.5)

अक्षद्यूते नलं जेता भवान्हि सहितो मया । निषधान्प्रतिपद्यस्व जित्वा राज्यं नलं नृपम् ॥

akṣadyūte nalaṃ jetā bhavānhi sahito mayā | niṣadhānpratipadyasva jitvā rājyaṃ nalaṃ nṛpam

With me at your side you will defeat Nala at dice. Win the kingdom from King Nala and take the Nishadhas for yourself."

Verse 6 (3.56.6)

एवमुक्तस्तु कलिना पुष्करो नलमभ्ययात् । कलिश्चैव वृषो भूत्वा तं वै पुष्करमन्वयात् ॥

evamuktastu kalinā puṣkaro nalamabhyayāt | kaliścaiva vṛṣo bhūtvā taṃ vai puṣkaramanvayāt

So urged by Kali, Pushkara went to Nala; and Kali, becoming the bull, the master die, followed Pushkara.

Verse 7 (3.56.7)

आसाद्य तु नलं वीरं पुष्करः परवीरहा । दीव्यावेत्यब्रवीद्भ्राता वृषेणेति मुहुर्मुहुः ॥

āsādya tu nalaṃ vīraṃ puṣkaraḥ paravīrahā | dīvyāvetyabravīdbhrātā vṛṣeṇeti muhurmuhuḥ

Coming up to the heroic Nala, Pushkara, his brother, slayer of enemy heroes, said again and again, "Let us play, with the bull as the die!"

Note on the text: Corrected अब्रवीद्धाता → अब्रवीद्भ्राता (misprint in Wikisource; Pushkara is Nala's brother, and the critical edition has abravīd bhrātā).

Verse 8 (3.56.8)

न चक्षमे ततो राजा समाह्वानं महामनाः । वैदर्भ्याः प्रेक्षमाणायाः प्राप्तकालममन्यत ॥

na cakṣame tato rājā samāhvānaṃ mahāmanāḥ | vaidarbhyāḥ prekṣamāṇāyāḥ prāptakālamamanyata

The high-minded king could not bear the challenge, and with Vaidarbhi looking on, he judged that the moment had come.

Verse 9 (3.56.9)

ततः स राज्ञा सहसा देवितुं संप्रचक्रमे । भ्रात्रा देवाभिभूतेन दैवाविष्टो जनाधिपः ॥

tataḥ sa rājñā sahasā devituṃ saṃpracakrame | bhrātrā devābhibhūtena daivāviṣṭo janādhipaḥ

Then, all at once, he began to play with the king, his brother, who was overmastered by the god; the lord of men was in the grip of fate.

Note on the text: Removed the backtick and quote marks that fence off this inserted couplet (editorial marks in Wikisource). Wikisource prints its first line alone as verse 9 and runs the second line into verse 10, giving a one-line and a three-line verse; the two lines are rejoined here as one couplet, as the critical edition's apparatus records them (3.56.8d*0236, lines 1–2), and verse 10 keeps its own two lines. Not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension).

Verse 10 (3.56.10)

हिरण्यस्य सुवर्णस्य यानयुग्यस्य वाससाम् । आविष्टः कलिना द्यूते जीयते स्म नलस्तदा ॥

hiraṇyasya suvarṇasya yānayugyasya vāsasām | āviṣṭaḥ kalinā dyūte jīyate sma nalastadā

Possessed by Kali, Nala then lost at dice: gold, both raw and wrought, carriages with their teams, and garments.

Note on the text: Corrected यानयुग्यस् → यानयुग्यस्य (misprint in Wikisource; a dropped akshara; the critical edition has yānayugyasya). The line printed above this one in Wikisource belongs to the inserted couplet and has been moved to the previous verse.

Verse 11 (3.56.11)

तमक्षमदसंमत्तं सुहृदां न तु कश्चन । निवारणेऽभवच्छक्तो दीव्यमानमरिंदमम् ॥

tamakṣamadasaṃmattaṃ suhṛdāṃ na tu kaścana | nivāraṇe'bhavacchakto dīvyamānamariṃdamam

Maddened by the frenzy of the dice as he played, the tamer of foes could not be held back by any one of his friends.

Verse 12 (3.56.12)

ततः पौरजनाः सर्वे मन्त्रिभिः सह भारत । राजानं द्रष्टुमागच्छन्निवारयितुमातुरम् ॥

tataḥ paurajanāḥ sarve mantribhiḥ saha bhārata | rājānaṃ draṣṭumāgacchannivārayitumāturam

Then all the townspeople came with the ministers, O Bharata, to see the king and to hold him back in his affliction.

Verse 13 (3.56.13)

ततः सूत उपागम्य दमयन्त्यै न्यवेदयत् । एष पौरजनो देवि द्वारि तिष्ठति कार्यवान् ॥

tataḥ sūta upāgamya damayantyai nyavedayat | eṣa paurajano devi dvāri tiṣṭhati kāryavān

Then the charioteer came and told Damayanti, "My lady, the townspeople stand at the door on urgent business.

Verse 14 (3.56.14)

निवेद्यतां नैषधाय सर्वाः प्रकृतयः स्थिताः । अमृष्यमाणा व्यसनं राज्ञो धर्मार्थदर्शिनः ॥

nivedyatāṃ naiṣadhāya sarvāḥ prakṛtayaḥ sthitāḥ | amṛṣyamāṇā vyasanaṃ rājño dharmārthadarśinaḥ

Let the king of the Nishadhas be told that all his subjects are here. They cannot bear this calamity of their king, who has always looked to what is right and what is profitable."

Verse 15 (3.56.15)

ततः सा बाष्पकलया वाचा दुःखेन कर्शिता । उवाच नैषधं भैमी शोकोपहतचेतना ॥

tataḥ sā bāṣpakalayā vācā duḥkhena karśitā | uvāca naiṣadhaṃ bhaimī śokopahatacetanā

Then Bhaimi, worn with grief, her mind struck down by sorrow, spoke to the king of the Nishadhas in a voice choked with tears:

Verse 16 (3.56.16)

राजन्पौरजनो द्वारि त्वां दिदृक्षुरवस्थितः । वृद्धैर्ब्राह्मणमुख्यैश्च वणिग्भिश्च समन्वितः ॥

rājanpaurajano dvāri tvāṃ didṛkṣuravasthitaḥ | vṛddhairbrāhmaṇamukhyaiśca vaṇigbhiśca samanvitaḥ

"O king, the townspeople stand at the door wishing to see you, together with the elders, the chief brahmins and the merchants.

Note on the text: Removed a stray backtick (editorial mark in Wikisource). The first line is CE 3.56.15a; the second line is not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension; its apparatus has it as 3.56.15d*0237, line 1). The critical edition's second line (mantribhiḥ sahitaḥ sarvai rājabhaktipuraskṛtaḥ) is not in Wikisource.

Verse 17 (3.56.17)

आगतं सहितं राजंस्त्वत्प्रसादावलम्बनम् । तं द्रष्टुमर्हसीत्येवं पुनः पुनरभाषत ॥

āgataṃ sahitaṃ rājaṃstvatprasādāvalambanam | taṃ draṣṭumarhasītyevaṃ punaḥ punarabhāṣata

They have all come together, O king, relying on your favour. You should see them." So she said, again and again.

Note on the text: Removed a stray quote mark and a doubled danda after the first line (editorial marks in Wikisource). The first line is not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension; its apparatus has it as 3.56.15d*0237, line 2); the second line is CE 3.56.15e.

Verse 18 (3.56.18)

तां तथा रुचिरापाङ्गीं विलपन्तीं तथाविधाम् । आविष्टः कलिना राजा नाभ्यभाषत किंचन ॥

tāṃ tathā rucirāpāṅgīṃ vilapantīṃ tathāvidhām | āviṣṭaḥ kalinā rājā nābhyabhāṣata kiṃcana

But the king, possessed by Kali, said nothing at all to her, the lovely-eyed one, as she lamented so.

Verse 19 (3.56.19)

ततस्ते मन्त्रिणः सर्वे ते चैव पुरवासिनः । नायमस्तीति दुःखार्ता व्रीडिता जग्मुरालयान् ॥

tataste mantriṇaḥ sarve te caiva puravāsinaḥ | nāyamastīti duḥkhārtā vrīḍitā jagmurālayān

Then all the ministers and all the townspeople, grieved and ashamed, went back to their homes, saying, "He is not himself any more."

Verse 20 (3.56.20)

तथा तदभवद्द्यूतं पुष्करस्य नलस्य च । युधिष्ठिर बहून्मासान्पुण्यश्लोकस्त्वजीयत ॥

tathā tadabhavaddyūtaṃ puṣkarasya nalasya ca | yudhiṣṭhira bahūnmāsānpuṇyaślokastvajīyata

So the dicing between Pushkara and Nala went on, Yudhishthira, for many months, and Punyashloka kept on losing.