Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c5.125

c5.125

Next day Ṛtuparṇa returned. After a few days Nala collected an army consisting of three hundred soldiers, sixteen elephants, fifty horses and a white chariot only, from Vidarbha and went to the kingdom of Niṣadha. Reaching there Nala challenged Puṣkara for a game of dice. Puṣkara refused the challenge. Nala took his sword to cut Puṣkara into two. Finally Puṣkara agreed to play. At the first cast of the dice the life and the kingdom of Puṣkara fell into the hands of Nala. But Nala did not kill Puṣkara; instead, he embraced him. Nala became King. Damayantī and the children reached Niṣadha. Nala ruled the country with more happiness and prosperity than before. (Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapters 52 to 79).