The Meeting That Couldn't Be
Damayanti, princess of Vidarbha, heard legends of Nala, king of Nishadha, and fell in love without meeting him. Nala heard legends of her and fell in love in return. They sent a swan as messenger.
At Damayanti's swayamvara, the gods themselves came — Indra, Agni, Varuna, Yama — each disguised as Nala. Damayanti, by her love's power, chose the real Nala from among them.
They were the most celebrated couple of their age.
Kali Enters
The demon Kali had been waiting for Nala's one moment of ritual impurity to enter him. When it came, Kali possessed him and drove him to the dice table, where his cousin Pushkara waited.
Nala gambled compulsively, losing everything. His ministers sent for Damayanti; she came and took their children to her father. Nala walked into the forest with nothing but a cloth.
The Abandonment
In the forest, Kali's possession deepened. Nala waited until Damayanti slept, then covered her with half her sari and walked away into the dark.
Damayanti woke alone in the forest. She searched. She was attacked by a serpent, rescued by a hunter, and made her way, through years of hardship, back to her father's court.
She sent messengers across the world looking for a man who could harness horses with unusual skill — Nala's gift.
The Return
Nala, cursed by Kali to live in a disfigured form, was eventually discovered. Damayanti arranged a second swayamvara — intending only Nala to know it was a ruse. He came. She recognized him. The curse lifted. He was himself again.