Nala aur Damayanti

Praacheen Nishadha raajya mein Nala naam ka ek raja rehta tha, jo devtaon jaisa sundar tha aur rath chalaane tatha paasa khelne mein sabhi manushyon se shreshth tha. Door Vidarbha mein rajkumari Damayanti, raja Bheem ki putri, apni sundarta aur buddhimatta ke liye samast prithvi par prasiddh thi. Yadyapi dono kabhi mile nahin the, phir bhi gaayakon se ek-doosre ke baare mein sunte the, aur unke mehlon ke beech udne waala ek sunahra hans prem-sandesh laata-le jaata tha. Sheeghra hi dono ko nishchay ho gaya ki ve ek-doosre ke liye hi bane hain, aur kisi samaroh se pehle hi unke hriday vivaahit ho chuke the. Jab raja Bheem ne Damayanti ke swayamvar ki ghoshna ki, to sansaar ke har kone se raja aur rajkumar ekatra hue. Yahaan tak ki devta bhi swarg se utar aaye, kyonki Indra, Agni, Varun aur Yam door se hi rajkumari se prem kar baithe the. Vidarbha ke maarg mein devtaon ki Nala se bhent hui aur unhone usse Damayanti tak sandesh pahunchaane ko kaha, jismein praarthana thi ki vah unmein se kisi ek ko pati chune. Nala doot ke sammaan se bandha tha, isliye vah adrishya hokar striyon ke kaksh mein gaya aur devtaon ki praarthana pahunchai. Damayanti ne haath jodkar suna aur komal swar mein uttar diya ki uska hriday pehle hi Nala ko diya ja chuka hai, aur vah devta ho ya manushya, kisi anya ko pati nahin banaayegi. Uski nishtha se dravit hokar devtaon ne swayamvar mein hi uski pareeksha lene ka nishchay kiya. Jab Damayanti haath mein maala liye vishaal sabha mein aayi, to usne paanch aise purush dekhe jo bilkul Nala jaise dikhte the, kyonki chaaron devtaon ne usi ka roop dhaaran kar liya tha. Kaanpte hue usne praarthana ki ki yadi uska prem saccha hai, to uski aankhon ko antar dikhe. Usi kshan devta prakat ho gaye: unke pair dharti ko nahin chhoote the, unki maalaen kabhi murjhaati nahin thin, aur unke maathe par paseena nahin aata tha. Vah ekmaatra purush jiske pair dharti par the, jiski maala murjha gayi thi, vahi saccha Nala tha. Damayanti ne uske gale mein maala daal di, aur devta krodhit hone ke bajaay dampati ko bahumulya vardaan dekar chale gaye. Kuch samay tak unka sukh poorn raha, aur unhein do santaanen huin. Parantu Kali naamak ek andhakaarmay aatma, jo swayam Damayanti ko chaahata tha aur swayamvar mein der se pahuncha tha, man mein katu dvesh paale tha. Vah baarah lambe varshon tak ek hi laaparvaah kshan ki prateeksha karta raha, aur antatah use vah kshan mil gaya: Nala ek baar sandhya-praarthana se pehle pair dhona bhool gaya. Usi kshan Kali doodh mein vish ki tarah Nala ke shareer mein pravesh kar gaya. Kali ke prabhaav mein Nala ka paason ke khel ke prati prem paagalpan mein badal gaya. Uske bhai Pushkara ne use chunauti di, aur Nala ne apna khazaana, apni sena, apna mehal aur antatah apna samast raajya jue mein haar diya. Damayanti dekhti rahi ki kaise uska pati, aankhon mein dhundh liye, sab kuch daanv par lagaakar haarta gaya. Usne apni santaanon ko suraksha ke liye apne pita ke ghar bhej diya, aur swayam Nala ke saath rahi. Jab unke tan ke vastra tak haar gaye, to dono ek hi vastra pehne nagar se baahar nikle, aur nangi dharti par soye. Ek raat prem aur niraasha ke beech fanskar Nala ne nishchay kiya ki Damayanti uske bina adhik surakshit rahegi. Usne unke ekmaatra vastra ko aadha kaata, apna bhaag liya, aur uske sote samay andhere van mein chala gaya. Jab Damayanti jaagi aur use na paaya, to uska shok aseem tha. Vah vanon aur marusthalon mein bhatakti rahi, roti aur uska naam pukaarti rahi. Ek saanp ne use kaata, ek shikaari ne use pakadne ka prayaas kiya, aur use daasi banaakar ek door ke raajya mein le jaaya gaya, phir bhi har pareeksha mein vahi dohraati rahi ki uska hriday keval Nala ka hai. Is beech Nala, jab vah aatma uske shareer se nikalkar ek vriksh mein pravesh kar gayi, tab Kali se mukt hokar, jhoothe naam se ek videshi raja ki seva mein saarthi bana. Varsh beet gaye. Tab pita ke mehal mein reh rahi Damayanti ne use khojne ki yojana banai. Usne agle hi din doosre swayamvar ki ghoshna karaai, yah jaante hue ki keval Nala, jo shreshth saarthi tha, hi ek hi din mein raajyon ke paar rath itni tezi se dauda sakta tha ki uske pati ka aashraydaata samay par pahunch sake. Uska doot us darbaar mein pahuncha jahaan Nala seva karta tha, aur raja Nala ko saarthi banaakar jaane ko sahmat hua. Jab rath maargon par uda, to raja Nala ki kushalta par chakit hua, aur badle mein usne use paason ka gupt vigyaan sikhaaya, vahi gyaan jo Kali ke shaap ko samaapt kar sakta tha. Mehal mein Damayanti ne khidki se saarthi ko dekha, aur uski aavaaz va haathon ne use satya bata diya. Usne apni santaanon ko uske paas bheja, aur jab usne unhein aansuon ke saath gale lagaaya, to sandeh mit gaya. Nala ne swayam ko prakat kiya, Damayanti ne devtaon ka aahvaan karke apni pavitrata siddh ki, aur dono punah mil gaye. Paason ke rahasya se sajjit Nala ne Pushkara ko phir chunauti di aur apna raajya vaapas jeet liya. Premi agni-pareeksha mein tapkar aur atoot siddh hokar, shaanti se saath-saath raajya karne lage.