Nala and Damayanti Debate Abandonment in the Forest

Damayanti was oppressed by grief. Her voice was choked with tears. She spoke to Nala: "O king! My heart trembles and my limbs are going numb, as I repeatedly think about your resolution. You have lost your kingdom. You have lost your riches. You are naked, hungry and fatigued. How can I leave you in this secluded forest and leave? O great king! When you are fatigued and hungry and think about your earlier happiness in this terrible forest, I will reduce your misery. I tell you truthfully. It is the view of physicians that for all kinds of misery, there is no medicine that is equal to a wife." Nala replied: "O Damayanti! O slim-waisted one! What you have said is certainly true. When a man is in misery, there is no medicine or friend equal to a wife. O timid one! Why are you afraid? I do not wish to abandon you. O unblemished one! I would abandon myself before abandoning you." But Damayanti pressed further. "O great king! If you did not wish to abandon me, why did you point out the road that leads in the direction of Vidarbha? O king! I also know that you should not abandon me. O lord of the earth! But since your mind is deluded, you might choose to do that. O supreme among men! You have repeatedly pointed out the road to me. O one with the radiance of immortals! That is the reason my sorrow is increasing." She offered a solution. "O king! If it is your intention that I should go to Vidarbha, then if you so desire, let us go there together. O one who shows respect! The king of Vidarbha will show you homage. O king! Honoured by him, you will dwell happily in our house." She had heard him describe the roads. She had heard him describe her father's kingdom. She knew what he was thinking, even if he denied it.