In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bahuka and King Rituparna making their way towards Vidharba Desha for Damayanti’s “Second Svayamvara”. Vaarshneya is also going along with both of them, as Bahuka is doing the job of the charioteer. Readers should understand that even though Vaarshneya worked under King Nala previously, he was not able to identify the fact that Bahuka was none other than King Nala himself! King Rituparna also knows the significance of King Nala, but he too could not identify that Bahuka was King Nala and is working along with him. However, as the journey progressed, Bahuka proves his worth of being an excellently skilled person in horse-riding and horse-selection, and King Rituparna also proves his expertise in Mathematics and counting. Thus, both of them appreciate each other’s skill sets, and however, as the journey is on, Bahuka has one important desire that he is urged to talk about, with King Rituparna. Let us witness this today.
Moving on thus, as Bahuka is riding the chariot with a great speed, he talks to King Rituparna thus, “Oh King! Now that I understand your great expertise in mathematics and counting, I’ve also heard that you’re an expert in gambling. So if you don’t mind, can you teach me that art as well? I’m very eager to learn from you!” As Bahuka expresses his wish thus, King Rituparna is more than happy to teach Bahuka. He requests Bahuka to stop the chariot mid-way and the classes begin! They select a nice scenic forest area and King Rituparna starts teaching Bahuka the art of gambling. As King Rituparna is an expert in this art, he teaches Bahuka the nuances of it very clearly! As Bahuka is a quick learner, he grasps whatever King Rituparna is teaching him. As this learning is going on at a brisk pace, Kali-Purusha, who is wreaking havoc in King Nala’s life till date, starts feeling uncomfortable! Readers should remember that the moment Snake Kaarkotaka bit King Nala, Kali-Purusha’s discomfort started, and now as King Nala is learning the art of gambling, Kali-Purusha is getting more and more uncomfortable, staying within his body. We should also remember that Kali-Purusha had used King Nala’s weakness in the gambling game to wreak havoc in his life and now that King Nala is correcting that weakness and converting it into a strength, Kali-Purusha is running out of options to create hurdles for King Nala.
Thus, as King Rituparna completes the entire course of teaching, and as King Nala gains supreme confidence over the game of gambling, Kali-Purusha gets out of King Nala’s body! He has had enough with King Nala! The moment Kali-Purusha exits his body, King Nala regains all his lost strength and power! However, he doesn’t disclose his true identity and continues as Bahuka, as King Rituparna commences his journey towards Vidharba Desha. Thus, at the end of the day, the trio reaches King Bheema’s palace, and to their dismay, there is no special arrangement for any sort of “Svayamvara”! Normally, for a grand “Svayamvara” event, there would be enormous amounts of decorations, many people coming in and going, etc., isn’t it? But here, the palace was completely empty and there are no signs of any function or auspicious happening! Is this a ploy created by Damayanti to somehow identify King Nala?
However, since the trio have made their way to Vidharba Desha, King Bheema welcomes them and makes them comfortable. King Bheema informs them that the “Svayamvara” is still on, and would take place the next day! With this, all of them go to rest, and Damayanti meanwhile begins her investigation. It should be remembered that Damayanti’s children are at Vidharba Desha only and as a smart move, Damayanti lets her children go and interact with the trio. She has a close watch on Bahuka’s reactions towards her children. This is because she knows the identity of Vaarshneya and King Ritpuarna already. But this Bahuka is the person who is under Damayanti’s doubt! As expected, Bahuka interacts with the children nicely and in a unique manner, since he is the father of the two children. Bahuka also identifies them personally, but still he doesn’t want to reveal his true identity as yet! He just wants to go with the flow of things. Bahuka has made up his mind with a plan before he reaches Vidharba Desha! So for today, let us understand up to this point, and in the next episode, we shall witness what Bahuka’s plan is, and how he is going to reveal his true identity to Damayanti and the others! Stay tuned for an interesting accord! 🙂
The Indian Dharma 