Dice Disguised as Birds Steal Nala's Garment
Hungry and desperate in the forest, Nala spots birds with plumage like gold and tries to catch them for food and riches, covering them with his only garment. The birds rise into the sky carrying his garment — and reveal themselves as the dice who robbed him of his kingdom, leaving him naked and alone.
After several days of hunger, Nala saw birds whose plumage seemed to be made of gold. He thought: this could be my food, and also my riches. He covered them with the garment he was wearing.
All of them grasped that garment and ascended into the sky.
When they rose up, the birds saw Nala standing on the ground — naked, miserable, his face downcast. They spoke: "O greatly foolish one! We are the dice. We came here to take away your garment. For we would have found no pleasure had you gone away with your garment."
Nala watched the dice depart. He was naked. He had nothing.
He turned to Damayanti. "O unblemished one! These are the ones whose wrath robbed me of my riches. I cannot find a means of livelihood. I am miserable and hungry. Because of them, those of the Nishadha kingdom show me no homage. They have now become birds and have robbed me of my garment. I am your husband and face this great calamity. I am miserable and have lost my senses. Listen to my words, because they are for your own welfare."
He began pointing out the roads. "There are many roads here that head in a southern direction. They pass Avanti and Mount Rikshavat. There is the great mountain range of Vindhya and the river Payoshni that flows into the ocean. There are the hermitages of maharshis (great sages), with a lot of flowers and fruit. This road leads to Vidarbha and that one goes to Koshala. Beyond them, towards the south, is the region of Dakshinapatha."
He was telling her how to leave. Aranyaka Parva, Chapter 355