Shloka 8
लुब्धक-कपोत-कपोती-आख्यानम्
The Hunter and the Pigeon Couple: Expiation and Refuge-Ethics
न भुड्धक्ते मय्यभुक्ते या नास्नाते स्नाति सुव्रता । नातिष्ठत्युपतिछेत शेते च शयिते मयि
na bhuktānte mayy abhukte yā nāsnāte snāti suvratā | nātiṣṭhaty upatiṣṭhet śete ca śayite mayi ||
Bhīṣma sagte: „Sie war eine Frau von vortrefflichen Gelübden, standhaft in ehelicher Treue. Sie aß nicht, wenn ich nicht gegessen hatte; sie badete nicht, wenn ich nicht gebadet hatte. Sie setzte sich nicht, ohne mich zuvor gesetzt zu haben, und sie legte sich erst schlafen, nachdem ich eingeschlafen war.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined, self-restrained devotion within household life: the wife’s conduct is portrayed as attentive service and prioritizing the husband’s needs, presented as an ideal of patnī-dharma (wifely duty) and suvrata (observance of vows).
Bhishma describes the exemplary behavior of a devoted wife, listing her daily practices—eating, bathing, sitting, and sleeping only after him—to illustrate her steadfast vow and attentive service.