ORIENTAL SERIES.

216 NALA.
privations. Some birds flew away with his only garment. He
resolved to abandon his wife in the hope that she would return
to her father's court, so he divided her sole remaining garment
while she slept and left her. Thus left alone, DamayantI
wandered about in great distress. She did not go home, but
she at length found service and protection with the princess of
Chedi. Nala fell in with the king of serpents, who was under a
curse from which ISTala was to deliver him. The serpent bit Nala,
and told him that the poison should work upon him till the evil
spirit was gone out of him, and that he should then be restored
to all he loved. Through the effects of the bite he was transformed
into a misshapen dwarf. In this form he entered the service of
$'itupama, king of Ayodhya,
as a trainer of horses and an
accomplished cook, under the name of Bahuka. DamayantI
was discovered and conducted to her father's home, where she
found her children. Great search was made for Nala, but in
vain, for no one knew him in his altered form. One Brahman,
however, suspected him, and informed DamayantL She resolved
to test his feelings by announcing her intention of hold-
ing a second swayam-vara. King jRttupama
determined to
attend, and took ISTala with him as driver of his chariot. fiituparwa
was skilled in numbers and the rules of chances. On
their journey he gave a wonderful proof of this, and he in-
structed Nala in the science. When Nala had acquired this
knowledge the evil spirit went out of him, but still he retained
his deformity. DamayantI half penetrated his disguise, and
was at length convinced that he was her husband by the flavour
of a dish which he had cooked. They met, and, after some
loving reproaches and the interference of the gods, they became
reconciled, and Tala resumed his form. He again played with
Pushkara, and staked his wife against the kingdom. Profiting
by the knowledge he had obtained from jRitupaim, he won
back all and again became king. Pushkara then humbled him-
self, and Nala not only forgave him, but sent him home to his
own city enriched with many gifts. The text of this poem
has been often printed, and there are translations in various
languages.
2. A monkey chief, said to be a son of Viswa-karma. Accord-
ing tu the Kamaya^a, he had the power of making stones float
in water. He was in Kama's army and built the bridge of