Nala

Nala-Damayanti. Painting by Raja Ravi Varma.

Nala-Damayanti

Nala (Template:Lang-sa), a character in Hindu Puranas, is the king of Nishadha Kingdom, son of Virasena. Nala is known for his skill with horses and culinary expertise. He marries princess Damayanti, of Vidarbha Kingdom, and their story is told in the Mahabharata. His main weakness is gambling. He is possessed by the demon Kali.

Story

Nala, also known as Nala Chakravarti (Nala the emperor), was chosen by Damayanti as husband in the swayamvara, a function in which the bride selects her husband from among the invitees, in preference to even the gods who came to marry her.

All the gods left the place praising the qualities of Nala and blessing the couple. But the demon Kali vowed to divert Nala from the path of Dharma, or path of righteousness or virtue, and separate Nala and Damayanti. Such was the purity of Nala that it took twelve years for Kali to find a small fault in him and bewitch his soul. After being influenced by evil, Nala played dice or gambling with his brother Pushkara and lost all his wealth and the kingdom to Pushkara. Nala and Damayanti had to live in forests where they were separated. After undergoing many sufferings, in spite of which Nala did not deviate from the path of righteousness, Nala overcame the influence of Kali and regained his kingdom by defeating Pushkar. Nala and Damayanti were reunited and lived happily thereafter.

Kali offered Nala a boon when he left him. Nala sought the boon that who ever reads his story must not be unduly affected by the malefic effects of Kali.

References

• Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend by Anna Dallapiccola, ISBN 0-500-51088-1.