Shloka 4
कपोती-विलापः स्वर्गसंयोगश्च
The Dove’s Lament and Celestial Reunion
राजन! शिबि आदि महात्मा राजाओंने तो शरणागतोंकी रक्षा करके ही परम सिद्धि प्राप्त कर ली थी ।। श्रूयते च कपोतेन शत्रु: शरणमागत: । पूजितश्न यथान्यायं स्वैश्व मांसैर्निमन्त्रित:
rājan! śibi-ādayo mahātmā rājānaḥ tu śaraṇāgatānāṃ rakṣāṃ kṛtvā eva paramāṃ siddhiṃ prāptāḥ. śrūyate ca kapotena śatruḥ śaraṇam āgataḥ; pūjitaś ca yathā-nyāyaṃ svaiś ca māṃsair nimantritaḥ.
Bhishma said: “O King, the great-souled rulers beginning with Śibi attained the highest perfection precisely by protecting those who sought refuge. And it is also heard in tradition that even a pigeon received an enemy who came seeking shelter—honoured him as was proper, and offered him hospitality with its own flesh.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The highest ethical and spiritual success for a ruler lies in protecting those who seek refuge (śaraṇāgata-rakṣā). Dharma demands that even an enemy who comes surrendering be treated with due honour and safeguarded, even at personal cost.
Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira by citing famous exemplars: kings like Śibi achieved supreme attainment through protecting suppliants. He further recalls a traditional tale in which a pigeon receives an enemy seeking shelter and, observing proper hospitality, offers even its own flesh—an extreme illustration of refuge-protection and guest-duty.