Damayanti Sends Her Children Away to Safety

Damayanti, the daughter of King Bhima of Vidarbha, was not a woman who panicked. She was well-versed in place and time — she knew when to speak and when to act. And she knew that the time had come. She watched Nala lose. Again. And again. The dice obeyed Pushkara as if they were his servants. Nala's addiction to gambling had grown beyond control — the more he lost, the more he played, and the more he played, the more he lost. His well-wishers and relatives tried to advise him. He did not listen. Even Damayanti's own words, which he had once treasured, now fell on deaf ears. The king was intoxicated — not with wine, but with the fever of the game. She saw his destruction approaching as clearly as if it had already happened. So she summoned Varshneya, Nala's charioteer — a man who had always been treated well by the king. She spoke to him in a soft voice, measured and deliberate. "You know that the king has always behaved properly towards you. Now that his moment of distress has arrived, you should help him. The more the king is defeated by Pushkara, the more his addiction towards gambling grows. The dice behave as if in Pushkara's control. Nala's destruction through the dice is thus seen. He does not listen to the sentences of his well-wishers and relatives, as he should. I think that nothing will be left of the great-souled Nishadha. The king is so intoxicated that he does not welcome my words either. O charioteer! I have sought refuge with you. Act in accordance with my words. My mind is not peaceful, in case he is destroyed." Then she gave him his instructions: yoke Nala's swiftest horses — the ones beloved of the king, with the speed of thought itself. Take the twins — Indrasena, the daughter, and Indrasena, the son — and go to Kundina, the capital of Vidarbha. Leave the horses, the chariot, and the children there with her relatives. After that, he could stay in Vidarbha or go elsewhere — the choice was his. Varshneya did not act alone. He went first to Nala's chief advisers and told them what Damayanti had said. The advisers met, discussed the matter, and gave their permission. The plan was sound. The children had to be saved. Varshneya placed the twins on the chariot and drove to Vidarbha. He left the horses and the chariot there. He left the daughter Indrasena and the son Indrasena with King Bhima. Distressed and unhappy, he told Bhima everything about Nala's plight. Then he left. He wandered, aimless and miserable, until he reached the city of Ayodhya. There he presented himself to King Rituparna, who employed him as his charioteer. The children were safe. But Nala's situation remained as dire as ever.