https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=DamayantiDamayanti - Revision history2026-07-31T18:30:34ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Damayanti&diff=302836&oldid=prevImportMaster at 18:26, 17 January 20222022-01-17T18:26:36Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{other uses|Damayanti (given name)|Damayanti (disambiguation)}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2016}}<br />
{{short description|Lady in Mahabharata}}<br />
{{Infobox character<br />
| children = Indrasena (son)<br>Indrasenā (daughter) <br />
| gender = Female<br />
| image = Ravi_Varma-Princess_Damayanthi_talking_with_Royal_Swan_about_Nala.jpg<br />
| alt = <br />
| caption = Damayanti talking to the celestial swan about Nala, painting by [[Raja Ravi Varma]]<br />
| info-hdr = Information<br />
| family = Bhima of Vidarbha (father)<br />
| home = Vidarbha Kingdom<br />
| spouse = [[Nala]]<br />
| affiliation =<br />
| color = #FFC569<br />
}}<br />
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'''''Damayanti''''' ([[Sanskrit]]: दमयंती) is a character in a love story found in the [[Vana Parva]] book of the [[Mahabharata]].<ref>{{cite book|author=J. A. B. van Buitenen|title=The Mahabharata, Volume 2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2QG_ZgsM13IC |year=1981|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-84664-4|pages=318–322}}</ref> She was the daughter of Bhima (not the Pandava one) and a princess of the [[Vidarbha Kingdom]], who married King [[Nala]] of the [[Nishadha Kingdom]]. The character is also found in other [[Hindu]] texts by many authors in numerous Indian languages.<ref>{{cite book|author=Roshen Dalal|title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DH0vmD8ghdMC|year=2010|publisher=Penguin Books|isbn=978-0-14-341421-6|pages=109, 191, 282, 316}}</ref> She, along with Nala, are the central characters in the 12th century text [[Nishadha Charita]], one of the five ''[[mahakavya]]s'' (great epic poems) in the canon of Sanskrit literature,<ref>{{cite book | title=The Indian Encyclopaedia | publisher=Genesis Publishing | page=5079 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ncL8Ve9FqNwC&pg=PA5079&dq=Naishadha&q=Naishadha}}</ref><ref name=Kunhan>{{cite book |title = Survey of Sanskrit Literature | author = C.Kunhan Raja | publisher = Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan | pages = 136, 146–148 | url = https://www.scribd.com/doc/223739875/Survey-of-Sanskrit-Literature-C-Kunhan-Raja}}</ref>{{rp|136}} written by [[Sriharsha]].<br />
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==Story==<br />
{{For|[[Nishadha Charita]] version of the story|Nala#Story}}<br />
[[File: Damayanti Choosing a Husband by Warwick Goble.jpg|thumb|Damayanti choosing her husband|alt=|277x277px]]<br />
Damayanti was the [[Yadava]] princess of [[Vidarbha Kingdom|Vidarbha]] Kingdom. One day, a beautiful swan came to her and told her about [[Nala]], king of [[Nishada]]. The swan was sent by Nala after hearing about her from it. After hearing about Nala, she was impressed with him and wanted to marry him.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ritu|date=2014-04-24|title=The love story of Nala and Damyanti|url=http://ritsin.com/story-nala-damyanti-love-unknown-mahabharata-vana-parva.html/|access-date=2020-08-26|website=Indian Mythology|language=en-US}}</ref><br />
A swayamvara was organized by Damayanti's father and Nala was also invited. Damayanti chose Nala out of the kings and princes and married. After a few years, they had two children.<ref>{{Cite book |title = Nala Damayanti|publisher = Amar Chitra Katha Private Limited|isbn = 81-89999-29-X}}</ref><br />
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After many years of happiness, [[Pushkara]], Nala's cousin, offered Nala to play a game. A rule was that the winner would get the loser's kingdom and the loser would go for an exile for three years. Nala lost the game and along with Damayanti went to the forest. Their children were given to Damayanti's father. Life was not easy for them and they struggled and wandered in the forest. One day when Damayanti was sleeping, Nala woke up and walked nearby.<br />
[[File:Raja_Ravi_Varma,_Damayanti_Vanavasa.jpg|alt=|left|thumb|242x242px|"Damayanti in the forest", A painting by [[Raja Ravi Varma]]]]<br />
He then suddenly saw a Naga god in fire and he saved him. The Naga god in return changed Nala's appearance and told him to learn the skill of the game from the king [[Rituparna]] of [[Ayodhya (Ramayana)|Ayodhya]] so that he could get back his kingdom. Nala went to Ayodhya without informing Damayanti, which left her searching for him. Damayanti was attacked by a python but it was killed by a hunter. Captivated by Damayanti's beauty, the hunter tried to force himself on her but she cursed him to be burnt into ashes.<br />
[[File: Damayanthi cursed of burning a man.jpg|thumb|Damayanti curses the hunter|alt=|240x240px]] After the hunter was burnt, Damayanti was rescued by a group of traders. However one night a herd of elephants destroyed the traders' belongings and the traders started to beat Damayanti as they thought she had brought them bad luck. Running for her life, Damayanti reached Viprapur. There she was chosen as the maid by the queen, Bhanumati. One day, a minister recognized who the maid was and brought her back to Vidarbha. Later she sent a question to all kingdoms to identify where Nala was. Nala answered the question and he was called to Vidarbha. There he reunited with Damayanti and they went to Nishada. Nala challenged Puskara but this time Pushkara lost. Nala got his kingdom back and he lived a happy life with Damayanti.<ref>{{Cite book |title = Nala Damayanti|publisher = Amar Chitra Katha Private Limited|isbn = 81-89999-29-X}}</ref><br />
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==Translations==<br />
[[Norman Mosley Penzer]] translated the tale of Nala and Damayanti in 1926 into [[English language|English]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=S. M. E.|title=''Nala and Damayanti'' by Norman M. Penzer|journal=The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland|date=April 1927|issue=2|pages=363–364|jstor=25221149}}</ref><br />
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==See also==<br />
*[[The Story of Nal and Damayanti in Bhakti and Sufism Accounts]]<br />
*[[Odysseus]] and [[Penelope]]<br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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==Further reading==<br />
* {{cite book|first=B.N. |last=Goswami |title=Nala and Damayanti: A Great Series of Paintings of an Old Indian Romance |url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25777954-nala-and-damayanti |year=2015 |publisher=Niyogi Books |isbn=9789383098897}}<br />
* {{cite book |first=Anna Libera |last=Dallapiccola |title=Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend |url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofhind0000dall |url-access=registration |year=2002 |publisher=Thames & Hudson |isbn=978-0-500-51088-9}}<br />
* {{cite book |first=Wendy |last=Doniger |author-link= Wendy Doniger |title=Splitting the Difference: Gender and Myth in Ancient Greece and India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=waieYDB9UMkC&pg=PA133 |date=1999 |chapter=Chapter 3: Nala and Damayanti, Odysseus and Penelope |publisher=University of Chicago Press |pages=133–204 |isbn=978-0-226-15640-8}}<br />
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==External links==<br />
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{{Wikiquote}}<br />
{{Sister project links| wikt=no | commons=Category:Nala-Damayanti | b=no | n=no | q=no | s=no | v=no | voy=no | species=no | d=q3521321}}<br />
* [https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-naishadha-charita-of-shriharsha The Naishadha-Charita (story of Nala and Damayanti)] English translation by K. K. Handiqui [proofread] (includes glossary)<br />
*[http://www.godandguru.com/amar-chitra/nala-damayanti.html Story of Nala and Damayanti English Translation]<br />
*[http://www.mahabharataonline.com/stories/mahabharata_story.php?id=8 Story of Nala and Damayanti from Mahabharata]<br />
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{{HinduMythology|state=collapsed}}<br />
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[[Category:Characters in Hindu mythology]]<br />
[[Category: Characters in the Mahabharata]]</div>ImportMaster