Rituparna

Nala is losing everything to Pushkara at the gambling table, and the dice seem to obey only his brother. Damayanti watches her husband destroy himself and knows what she must do: send their children away before they are lost too.

Transformed and unrecognizable, Nala receives a clear plan from Karkotaka: go to King Rituparna in Ayodhya as the suta Bahuka, exchange his skill with horses for Rituparna's skill with dice, and use that skill to reclaim his kingdom, his wife, and his children.

After the serpent disappears, Nala arrives at the city of King Rituparna, hungry and exhausted. He presents himself before the king under a false name, offering his skills in horse-driving and cooking — and asks to be maintained. Rituparna, whose mind is always drawn to speed, appoints him superintendent of the royal stables.

Damayanti has heard Bahuka's words and knows Nala is alive — but she needs to force him to reveal himself. She summons Sudeva and gives him a message for King Rituparna: Damayanti will hold a second svayamvara tomorrow morning, because Nala's fate is unknown.

Parnada returns from Ayodhya with nothing from King Rituparna — but a deformed charioteer named Bahuka spoke to him in private, words that made no sense to the brahmana but strike Damayanti like a message from the dead.

King Rituparna tells his charioteer Bahuka that he wishes to reach Vidarbha in a single day for Damayanti's svayamvara. Bahuka's mind is torn apart by grief and suspicion — is Damayanti truly choosing another husband, or is this a ruse for his sake? Tormented, he resolves to go and discover the truth.

Rituparna rushes Bahuka repeatedly, who then selects lean but capable horses. The king objects — these weak animals cannot bear them such a distance. But Bahuka defends his choice, and when the king defers to his expertise, Nala yokes four noble horses and makes them kneel for the king to ascend.

As the chariot rises as if into the sky, confounding its occupants, Varshneya watches Bahuka's extraordinary control over the horses. He weighs the evidence — is this Matali, Shalihotra, or Nala himself? The age matches, the knowledge matches, but the deformed body gives him pause. He decides not to conclude without proof.

King Rituparna arrives in Vidarbha in the evening, his chariot roaring through the gates of Kundina. The sound reaches Nala's horses, who rejoice as if their master had returned. It reaches Damayanti, who is stirred with hope and grief. King Bhima welcomes Rituparna with honours, puzzled by the unexplained journey of over a hundred yojanas, while Bahuka — Nala in disguise — tends to the horses.

From the palace, Damayanti sees King Rituparna, Varshneya, and Bahuka — but not Nala. The chariot's roar was identical, yet the man is absent. Tormented by the mystery, she debates whether Varshneya has somehow acquired Nala's skill, or whether Rituparna equals him. Then she sends a messenger to search.

From her palace window, Damayanti sees a charioteer with short arms and a malformed body — and her heart grows calm. She sends her maid Keshini to question him, suspecting this is King Nala in disguise. Keshini learns he is Rituparna's charioteer and cook, and that Varshneya is with them, but the suspicion remains.

King Rituparna learns that his charioteer Bahuka was actually King Nala in disguise, and that Nala has been reunited with Damayanti. He is delighted — but Nala, brought before him, immediately begs forgiveness, setting off a mutual exchange of pardon between two kings who both feel they owe the other something.