Shloka 27
कपोती-विलापः स्वर्गसंयोगश्च
The Dove’s Lament and Celestial Reunion
सो<5पश्यत् तरुखण्डेषु मेघनीलवनस्पतिम्,इतनेमें ही उसे वृक्षोंके समूहमें मेघके समान सघन एवं नील एक विशाल वृक्ष दिखायी दिया, जिसपर बहुतसे विहंग छाया, निवास और फलकी इच्छासे बसेरे लेते थे, मानो विधाताने परोपकारके लिये ही उस साधुतुल्य महान् वृक्षका निर्माण किया था
so 'paśyat tarukhaṇḍeṣu megha-nīla-vanaspatim |
Bhishma said: “Then he saw, amid a cluster of trees, a great tree dark-blue like a rain-cloud and densely spreading. Many birds had taken shelter upon it, dwelling there for shade and for its fruits—as though the Creator had fashioned that noble, mighty tree solely for the welfare of others.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents an ethical ideal through a natural image: the truly noble exist for others’ welfare—like a great tree that offers shade and fruit without discrimination. It commends selfless giving (paropakāra) as a mark of saintliness and dharma.
In Bhīṣma’s discourse, a figure observes a dense, cloud-colored great tree in a grove. Birds gather there seeking shade, residence, and fruit. The scene is framed as if the Creator made the tree specifically to benefit others, setting up a moral analogy.