Nala Abandons Sleeping Damayanti in the Forest

Nala had refused to go to Damayanti's father's kingdom. "There is no doubt that your father's kingdom is my own," he told her. "But I will never go there in these difficult circumstances. There was a time when I went there in my prosperity and increased your happiness. How can I go there in my misery and increase your unhappiness?" So they wandered — the king who had lost everything and the queen who had followed him into exile. They had only a single garment between them, which they shared. They were hungry, thirsty, and exhausted. Eventually they arrived at a public dwelling house — a rest stop for travelers — and Nala sat down on the bare ground with Damayanti beside him. He was naked, filthy, his hair disheveled and covered with dust. The delicate princess of Vidarbha, who had grown up in palaces, lay down on the ground beside her husband and fell asleep. Nala could not sleep. His mind was agitated with grief. He thought about the loss of his kingdom, the desertion by his well-wishers, the hardships of the forest. The thoughts circled endlessly: What will happen from my acting in this way? What will happen from my not acting in this way? Is it better for me to die? Or should I abandon her? She was devoted to him. She had suffered this unhappiness for his sake. But without him, she might go to her relatives. If she stayed with him, she would certainly confront more unhappiness. If he deserted her, she might find happiness. He decided: it would be superior if he deserted Damayanti. But she had only one garment, and he had none. He would have to tear it in half. But how could he do that without waking her? He began to wander around the dwelling house, pacing back and forth. Near the house, he found an excellent unsheathed sword. He used it to slice off half her garment. Leaving the daughter of Vidarbha asleep, he swiftly went away, bereft of his consciousness. But his heart was tied to her. He returned to the dwelling house. He saw her sleeping there — the woman who had never before been seen by the wind or the sun, now lying unprotected on the ground of a public house, clad in a sliced-off garment. He wept. "When she regains consciousness, the one with the beautiful hips will be like one maddened. What will she do? Alone and deserted by me, how will this faithful and beautiful daughter of Bhima roam in this terrible forest, frequented by animals and predators?" He departed again. He returned again. He was drawn away by Kali — the spirit of gambling who had possessed him and destroyed his kingdom — but drawn back by his love. It seemed as if his heart was divided into two. Like a swing, it went to the dwelling house and back from it. But Kali was stronger. Nala was attracted by Kali and deluded. Lamenting piteously many times, he deserted his sleeping wife. Touched by Kali, his soul tainted, without thinking about it any further, the king went away, abandoning his miserable wife in that deserted forest.