Shloka 93
Gṛdhra–Jambuka Saṃvāda (Dialogue of the Vulture and the Jackal) — On Grief, Kāla, and Resolve
पतिव्रता सम्प्रदीप्तं प्रविवेश हुताशनम् | इस तरह अनेक प्रकारसे करुणाजनक विलाप करके अत्यन्त दु:खमें डूबी हुई वह पतिव्रता कबूतरी उसी प्रज्वलित अग्निमें समा गयी
pativratā sampradīptaṃ praviveśa hutāśanam |
Bhīṣma said: “The devoted wife-bird, overwhelmed by grief and after uttering many heart-rending laments, entered the blazing fire and was consumed by it—thus displaying the extreme ideal of wifely fidelity (pativratā-dharma), even at the cost of her own life.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the traditional ideal of pativratā-dharma—steadfast devotion to one’s spouse—presented as an extreme exemplar of loyalty and self-surrender, used in the Shanti Parva to discuss ethical ideals and the power attributed to virtuous conduct.
A devoted female pigeon, grieving intensely and lamenting in many ways, chooses to enter a blazing fire (hutāśana) and perishes in it, an act framed as the culmination of her fidelity.