Shloka 14
शल्मलि–पवनसंवादः
The Dialogue of Śalmali and Pavana
एवं खलु कपोतश्न कपोती च पतिव्रता । लुब्धकेन सह स्वर्ग गता: पुण्येन कर्मणा,इस प्रकार वह धर्मात्मा कबूतर, पतिव्रता कपोती और बहेलिया--तीनों साथ-साथ अपने पुण्यकर्मके बलसे स्वर्गलोकमें जा पहुँचे
evaṃ khalu kapotaś ca kapotī ca pativratā | lubdhakena saha svargaṃ gatāḥ puṇyena karmaṇā ||
So gelangten die rechtschaffene Taube und die ihrem Gatten treue Taubin—zusammen mit dem Jäger—durch das Verdienst ihrer tugendhaften Taten in den Himmel.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Merit arises from steadfast dharma and selfless conduct: the faithful wife’s pativratā-dharma and the righteous pigeon’s virtue are upheld as spiritually efficacious, and even the hunter is elevated through association with virtue and the moral turn implied by the narrative’s conclusion.
Bhīṣma concludes the episode by stating that the male pigeon, the devoted she-pigeon, and the hunter all go together to Svarga, having earned that destiny through the merit of their actions.