DAMAYANTA II Nala, the king of Nishadha, was a brave, handsome young man well versed in the science unusually skilled in driving chariots.

Nala, the king of Nishadha, was a brave, handsome young man well versed in the science unusually skilled in driving chariots. He held position among all the ruling princes. There was another king, Bhima, ruling over Vidarbha, who was known for his heroism and his affection for his subjects. He had three sons and an exceedingly beautiful daughter, Damayanti.
Damayanti, rejecting even divine suitors, married Nala whom she had already given her heart to. She stuck with him even when he lost his kingdom in a game of dice and had to go starving and hungry in the forests. Even when Nala deserted her, she trusted his love for her and traced him out through tremendous odds. Damayanti was at last reunited with him and at last, the tide of luck changed, and she, as queen, sat enthroned in splendour by Nala’s side.

The story of Nala and Damayanti has inspired and comforted millions of women for thousands of years. It shows what sterling stuff women were made of in those days, never quaking even in the heaviest sorrows and misfortunes. Their tale of woe and ultimate triumph has added a new value to the age-old values of truth, chastity, and a host of human qualities that lifts humanity to a divine status.
Swami Vivekananda on Damayanti: Ideal characters must always be presented before the view of the girls to imbue them with a devotion to lofty principles of selflessness. The noble examples of Sita, Savitri, Damayanti, Lilavati, Khana, and Mira should be brought home to their minds, and they should be inspired to mould their own lives in the light of these.

O India! Forget not that the ideal of thy womanhood is Sita, Savitri, Damayanti;