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It is an interesting love story. There was a princess of Vidharbh Desh named Damayantee who was born Raajaa Bheem by the Var of a Rishi named Daman. She was the only daughter of her father. She was very beautiful and the account of her beauty was spread all around. Nal also heard about Damayantee's beauty and wanted to marry her. But how?

One day he was sitting in his garden lost in the thoughts of Damayantee. After some time he rose and started taking a stroll on the shore of a nearby lake. as he was walking, he saw some golden swans landing on the surface of the lake. Raajaa got very surprised to see them because he had never seen such beautiful swans before. He sat down near the edge of the lakeshore. As he sat a swan came flying near the shore and Raajaa caught him by his neck and legs. To his surprise the bird spoke - "O king of Nishadh, You should not capture me. I know what is on your mind. If you will rlease me I will do good to you." "What good?" The swan said- "Immediately I will go to Damayantee's palace and I will sing your praise there so that she is attracted towards you. And how you feel about her, then she will not want to marry anybody else." Nal said - "Oh, This will surely please me. I release you. You go to Vidarbh Desh and tell my message to her. I want none other than her."

Nal released the swan, he joined his companions and went southwards with them. Nal also came back wondering at the movements of his fate. Swans went to Damayantee and came to Nal several time praising one to another. Thus both fell in love with each other badly.

Now Damayantee was grown up so Raajaa Bheem decided to arrange her Swayamvar. Yam, Indra, Agni, and Varun Devta also came to this Swayamvar with the desire to marry Damayantee. Nal also came to attend her Swayamvar and met these four Devtaa on his way. As they talked to him and expressed their wish to marry Damayantee he promised to help them.

When all came to Vidarbh Desh, the four Devtaa asked him to go to palace and tell Damayantee that the four Devtaa will be there as her candidate and she must choose one of them. Nal reluctantly did their job but she said - "I respect all Devtaa but I cannot choose them as my husband." As Nal informed about this to Devtaa, they all attended the Swayamvar in the form of Nal. But Damayantee recognized the real Nal and married him. They lived happily for some time. They had a son named Indrasen and a daughter named Indrasenaa.

Nal Loses All

Now Kali (the personification of kali Yug) arrived too late for the Swayamvar. He was very unhappy with this so he decided to take revenge from Nal through his love of gambling. So under the influence of Kali, his younger brother Pushkar proposed him to play a game of dice. The game started and kali charmed the dice so Nal continued to lose everything, even his clothes.

So now Pushakr became the king of Nishadh Desh and he ordered his people not to give any food or shelter to Nal. Nal went to forest and wandered around with his wife. Damayantee sent her children to her father's house and accompanied her husband. Once after taking bath Nal spread his loin cloth to dry, but Kali came in the form of birds and flew away taking it. Nal was very sad seeing all this especially his wife's condition. He asked her to go her father's house several times but she didn't want to leave her husband alone in his bad times.

But now Nal's patience crossed its limit. One day he tore her cloth in half to waer himself and went away leaving Damayantee sleeping, thinking that when she will not see him she might go to her father's house. Damayantee tried to search for him for some time then she went to Chedi Desh (Chandale and Bundale Khand area) in service of its princess.

Now Nal remained alone wandering here and there. He met a huge python who was living there under a Shaap. Nal was supposed to free from that Shaap. So the python bit him and said - "This poison will work only till his evil soul is released, then he will be all right." With the effect of that poison Nal transformed into a irregular shaped dwarf. Wandering here and there, he came to Ayodhyaa's king Rituparn as a trainer of horses and an expert cook. He entered there under the name of Baahuk. 

Damayantee Finds Her Husband

On the other side, in Chedi Desh, Damayantee was recognized and was sent to her father's house. Now she started searching for Nal but to no avail. One day a Braahman suspected him in Ayodhyaa and informed Damayantee about this. Damayantee found a way to see him. She announced her second Swayamvar and invited only Rituparn. The date of the Swayamvar was also such that only Nal could come to that Swayamvar.

Hearing about the Swayamvar, Rituparn decided to go there, but how to go, because the day was very near and even the fastest horses could not reach there in time. So he was sitting worried. Nal asked the reason of his worry. Rituparn told him that hewanted to go to attend Damayantee's Swayamvar and the date was spo near that even his fastest horses ould not reach there in time.

Nal consoled him and assured him that he would take him there, there was no need to worry. So Rituparn started for Ayodhyaa with Nal as his Saarathee. Rituparn was good at numbers and the science of chances. On the way he taught this to Nal. As he acquired this knowledge, his evil spirit went out of him, but he still retained his deformity. 

When they reached there they didn't find anybody else than themselves. Damayantee saw both but could not recognize her husband. She thought a way to recognize him, she said to Raajaa Rituparn - "We have heard that your stableman is a good cook. We will appreciate if he could cook something for us also." Thus Nal cooked some food which Damayantee tasted. The taste of the food confirmed that he was none other than Nal. She called in her palaces, met him, showed him his children. Then she told him that her Swayamvar was only a means to see him. Nal's form also became normal.

Nal Gets All Back

Again Nal sat to play the dice game with Pushkar. With the knowledge Nal acquired from Rituparn, he won the game. This time Pushkar lost everything to Nal. He asked for his mercy. Nal sent him back to his city with many gifts.

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