Shloka 326
कपोती-विलापः स्वर्गसंयोगश्च
The Dove’s Lament and Celestial Reunion
शरणं यामि यान्यस्मिन् दैवतानि वनस्पतौ । इसके बाद उसने उस वृक्षके नीचे ही रातभर रहनेका निश्चय किया। फिर हाथ जोड़ प्रणाम करके उस वनस्पतिसे कहा--“इस वृक्षपर जो-जो देवता हों, उन सबकी मैं शरण लेता हूँ
śaraṇaṃ yāmi yāny asmin daivatāni vanaspatau |
Bhīṣma said: “I seek refuge in whatever deities dwell in this tree.” With folded hands he offered reverence to the tree and resolved to spend the entire night beneath it, placing himself under the protection of the sacred presences believed to inhabit it—an act that reflects humility, faith, and the ethic of honoring nature as a vessel of the divine.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models śaraṇāgati (seeking refuge) and respectful devotion: one should approach the sacred with humility, recognizing that divinity may be present even in natural forms like a tree, and act with reverence rather than entitlement.
A person (as framed by Bhīṣma’s narration) decides to stay the night beneath a tree and, before doing so, offers salutations and declares refuge in all deities believed to reside in that tree, seeking protection and blessing.