Damayanti Chooses Nala at the Svayamvara
When Damayanti enters the svayamvara arena, she finds five identical men — the four gods disguised as Nala and Nala himself — and cannot tell which is her chosen husband. She prays to the gods, asking them to reveal their true forms, and they grant her request, allowing her to see Nala's mortal signs and place the garland around his shoulders.
The day arrived. The auspicious moment had come. King Bhima summoned all the lords of the earth to Damayanti's svayamvara, and they came — every king who had heard of her beauty, every prince who hoped to win her. They entered the great arena with its golden pillars and beautiful gates, like lions entering a mountain cave. They seated themselves on their various thrones, adorned with fragrant garlands and earrings encrusted with gems. The arena was filled with kings as Bhogavati is filled with serpents, as a mountain cave is filled with tigers. Their broad arms were like clubs, well-formed and marked with auspicious signs, like five-headed serpents. Their faces were as resplendent as stars in the firmament.
Then Damayanti entered.
Her radiance stole the eyes and hearts of every king present. Wherever their glances first fell on her body, there they remained, unable to stray. The names of the kings were being announced one by one when Bhima's daughter saw something that made her stop.
Five men. Identical in appearance.
The four gods — Indra, Agni, Yama, Varuna — had taken Nala's form, and none of them could be distinguished from the others. Whichever one Damayanti looked at seemed to be King Nala. She debated in her mind, afflicted with grief. How would she know which were the gods and which was Nala?
She remembered what she had heard from the elders about the marks of the gods — that they do not sweat, that their feet do not touch the ground, that their garlands never fade. But when the gods stood on the ground in this way, those marks could not be perceived. She resolved that the time had come to seek refuge with the gods themselves.
She joined her hands in salutation and spoke in a trembling voice:
"On hearing the words of the swan, I have chosen the Nishadha to be my husband. If those words are true, let the gods direct me towards him. I have never deviated in my mind or my speech. If that is true, let the gods direct me towards him. If it is true that the gods themselves have decided that the king of Nishadha should be my husband, let the gods direct me towards him. Let the lords of the worlds display their own forms, so that I may know King Punyashloka."
The gods heard her piteous lamentation. They saw that she was supremely in love with Nishadha, pure in mind, intelligence, devotion and love. They did what she asked. They revealed themselves in their true forms, bearing the marks that distinguished them from mortals.
Damayanti saw them then — the gods without sweat, with fixed glances, their garlands untouched by dust, standing without touching the ground. And she saw Nishadha beside them: touching the ground, his shadow next to him, his garland faded with dust, perspiring, his eyes blinking.
She chose him. Bashfully, the large-eyed one touched the end of his garment and placed an extremely beautiful garland around his shoulders.
The assembled kings let out sounds of lamentation. But the gods and the great sages uttered cries of approval, and struck with wonder, spoke words praising King Nala. Aranyaka Parva, Chapter 351