during their exile, kali drove nala to abandon damayanti, who later enacted a curse against everyone that had caused the downfall of her husband. she eventually returned home after a short time as a hand-maiden to the princess of chedi. nala, meanwhile, saved the naga karkotaka from fire (where he was cursed to suffer by sage narada). intending to exorcize the devil within him, the serpent bit nala, injecting him with deadly poisons that forever tortured kali. the venom also changed nala into an ugly dwarf named bahuka. he later became the charioteer of the ayodhya king rituparna, who was a master mathematician and dice player.