re
in glory, increasing thy joy. How can I go there now in misery,
augmenting thy grief?"'

"Vrihadaswa continued, 'Saying this again and again unto Damayanti, king
Nala, wrapped in half a garment, comforted his blessed wife. And both
attired in one cloth and wearied with hunger and thirst, in course of
their wanderings, at last they came to a sheltered shed for travellers.
And arrived at this place, the king of the Nishadhas sat down on the
bare earth with the princes of Vidarbha. And wearing the same piece of
cloth (with Damayanti), and dirty, and haggard, and stained with dust,
he fell asleep with Damayanti on the ground in weariness. And suddenly
plunged in distress, the innocent and delicate Damayanti with every mark
of good fortune, fell into a profound slumber. And, O monarch, while she
slept, Nala, with heart and mind distraught, could not slumber calmly as
before. And reflecting on the loss of his kingdom, the desertion of his
friends, and his distress in the woods, he thought with himself, "What
availeth my acting thus? And what if I act not thus? Is death the better
for me now? Or should I desert my wife? She is truly devoted to me and
suffereth this distress for my sake. Separated from me, she may
perchance wander to her relatives. Devoted as she is to me, if she
stayeth with me, distress will surely be hers; while it is doubtful, if
I desert her. On the other hand, it is not unlikely that she may even
have happiness some time." Reflecting upon this repeatedly, and thinking
of it again and again, he concluded, O monarch, that the desertion of
Damayanti was the best course for him. And he also thought, "Of high
fame and auspicious fortune, and devoted to me, her husband, she is
incapable of being injured by any one on the way on account of her
energy." Thus his mind that was influenced by the wicked Kali, dwelling
upon Damayanti, was made up for deserting her. And then thinking of his
own want of clothing, and of her being clad in a single garment, he
intended to cut off for himself one half of Damayanti's attire. And he
thought, "How shall I divide this garment, so that my beloved one may
not perceive?" And thinking of this, the royal Nala began to walk up and
down that shed. And, O Bharata, pacing thus to and fro, he found a
handsome sword lying near the shed, unsheathed. And that repressor of
foes, having with that sword cut off one half of the cloth, and throwing
the instrument away, left the daughter of