Rituparna Arrives in Vidarbha and is Welcomed
King Rituparna arrives in Vidarbha in the evening, his chariot roaring through the gates of Kundina. The sound reaches Nala's horses, who rejoice as if their master had returned. It reaches Damayanti, who is stirred with hope and grief. King Bhima welcomes Rituparna with honours, puzzled by the unexplained journey of over a hundred yojanas, while Bahuka — Nala in disguise — tends to the horses.
Rituparna, for whom truth was his strength, arrived in Vidarbha in the evening.
The people informed King Bhima of his arrival. On Bhima's word, the king entered the city of Kundina, filling all ten directions with the sound of his chariot.
Nala's horses heard the roar. They rejoiced — just as they had in Nala's company earlier, when their master's hands held the reins. The sound was the same: the deep, familiar thunder of a chariot driven with perfect skill.
Damayanti heard it too. Like the horses, Bhima's daughter thought that the chariot roared as it used to before, when Nala used to control his horses. The peacocks in the palace heard it and made expectant noises, thinking the rains were imminent. The elephants in the stables heard it and did the same. The horses heard it and stirred.
Damayanti spoke: "The roar of the chariot fills up the entire earth and gladdens my heart. It must be King Nala."
She lamented, desiring to see Punyashloka — "the one of sacred fame," as Nala was known. Bereft of her senses, she ascended the large palace. She saw the chariot in the centre, with King Rituparna, Varshneya, and Bahuka on it.
Then Varshneya and Bahuka dismounted. They unharnessed the horses and secured the chariot.
King Rituparna alighted and presented himself before Bhima, whose valour was terrible. Bhima welcomed him with the best of honours. The king had come suddenly. The counsel of the women was not known. "You are welcome. What can I do?" asked Bhima. He did not know that the king had come for the sake of his daughter.
Rituparna looked around. He saw no other king or prince. There were no signs of a svayamvara (a bride's choice of husband), nor had an assembling of brahmanas occurred. The lord of Koshala thought about this in his mind and said, "I have come here to pay my respects."
King Bhima began to reflect. There had to be some other reason for travelling more than a hundred yojanas, passing through many villages. The reason for his arrival had not been correctly stated. The minor reason identified could not have been the real one. But Bhima showed him all due respect and repeatedly told him that he was tired and should rest.
Thus treated with friendly homage, Rituparna was pleased. He followed the king's servants and went to the house that had been identified for him.
When King Rituparna had left with Varshneya, Bahuka grasped the chariot and went to the place where chariots were kept. He freed the horses and tended to them, as instructed in the sacred texts. Having comforted the horses himself, he sat down on a side of the chariot.
He was Nala. And he was alone. Aranyaka Parva, Chapter 368