The OTHER Dice Game From Mahabharata
Mahabharata is one of the most underrated literature brilliance. While most of us know the overall plot, but it is also full of memorable subplots which are revealed like important fillers in between, and give meaning to bigger plots. After all it has around 100000 shlokas. We all are aware about Yudhishthira’s dice game — he bets everything, loses it all (including his wife, Draupadi), exile for the Pandavas. It’s dramatic, sure, but let me tell you about a lesser-known, super underrated dice disaster: the story of Nala and Damayanti from the Vana Parva.
Picture Nala, the king of Nishadha. He wasn’t just any ruler — he had a special way with horses and lived by strict moral principles. Then there was Damayanti, the princess of Vidarbha, whose beauty was so remarkable that even the gods took notice. She was as smart as she was beautiful, making her and Nala a perfect match. Their love story started like a fairy tale, blessed by the gods themselves.
But life has a way of throwing curve-balls, even at kings and queens. We know enough examples from our mythology. Years into their happy marriage, Nala made a mistake that would change everything. His brother Pushkara challenged him to a game of dice, and Nala couldn’t walk away (getting flashbacks from Yudhishthira?). One roll after another, he lost everything — his wealth, his kingdom, and finally, his freedom.
With nothing left but their love for each other, Nala and Damayanti became wanderers in the forest. Their fine clothes turned to rags, but their bond remained strong. However, Nala’s shame and guilt grew too heavy to bear. Thinking he was doing what was best for Damayanti, he left her one night while she slept — a decision he would come to regret deeply.
Their story then splits into two parallel journeys of growth and resilience. Damayanti refused to be broken by her circumstances. She faced countless dangers, kept her wits about her, and eventually found safety in her father’s kingdom. But she never gave up on finding Nala.
Meanwhile, Nala’s path took an unusual turn when he met a magical serpent named Karkotaka. The serpent transformed his appearance completely — a blessing in disguise. Under the name Bahuka, Nala became a charioteer in Ayodhya. There, serving King Rituparna, he learned the lessons about dice and life that he had missed as a young king.
The couple’s reunion played out like a chess match. Damayanti, suspecting that the mysterious charioteer Bahuka might be her lost husband, cleverly orchestrated events to bring him to Vidarbha. When they finally met, years of separation melted away in their tears of joy and forgiveness.
Their story concludes with Nala facing his brother Pushkara in another dice game — but this time, as a wiser man. He won back his kingdom, but by then, both he and Damayanti had gained something far more valuable: a love tested by fire and proven unbreakable.
Unlike the grand, kingdom-shaking dice game that everyone knows from the Mahabharata, this story speaks to something more personal. It’s about love that survives despite our worst mistakes, about second chances, and about growing through hardship. In today’s world of instant gratification and quick fixes, Nala and Damayanti’s story reminds us that the most meaningful victories often come after our greatest struggles.
Quite a lesson to be learnt in the modern day.
