Damayanti Meets Ascetics Who Prophesy Her Reunion

Damayanti left the mountain and walked north. For three days and three nights she walked — alone, hungry, wearing only half a garment, her body thin and pale from grief. Then she saw a forest unlike any she had encountered. It was beautiful as a celestial garden. It was populated by ascetics like Vasishtha, Bhrigu and Atri — men who had mastered their senses, who lived on water and air, who wore bark and deerskin and were calm and pure. She saw a circle of hermitages, frequented by animals and monkeys, and she entered it. She was a queen. Her brows were lovely, her hair was beautiful, her hips and breasts were beautiful. But she was also a woman who had lost everything. She bowed before the aged ascetics and stood in humility. The ascetics welcomed her. They showed her homage according to the prescribed norms and asked her to sit. "Tell us what we can do for you," they said. Damayanti asked after their austerities, their fires, their dharma, their animals and birds. The ascetics answered that everything was well. Then they asked her: who are you? Are you the goddess of this forest, this mountain, this river? Your beauty and radiance amaze us. "I am not a goddess," she told them. "I am a woman. In the land of Vidarbha, there is a king named Bhima. I am his daughter. My husband is Nala, king of Nishadha — brave, victorious, devoted to truth and dharma. He was challenged to a game of dice by evil men skilled in deceit. He was defeated and lost his kingdom and his riches. I am wandering everywhere — woods, mountains, lakes, rivers, ponds, forests — searching for him. By any chance, has a king by that name come to this hermitage? If I cannot find him in a few days and nights, I will free myself from this body. What is the purpose of my being alive without that bull among men?" The ascetics — who always spoke the truth — told her: "O fortunate one! The consequence of all this will be fortunate. Through the powers of our austerities, we can see that you will soon find Nala. He will be freed from his fever and absolved of all his sins. He will be adorned with all the gems. You will see your husband in fortunate circumstances." Then they disappeared — together with their sacrificial fires and their hermitages. Damayanti stood alone in the empty forest. Was it a dream? Where were the ascetics? Where was the circle of hermitages? Where were the pure waters of the river, the mountain adorned with fruits and flowers? She thought about these things for some time. Her face turned pale. She was still miserable because of sorrow for her husband.