Shloka 16

लुब्धक-कपोत-कपोती-आख्यानम्

The Hunter and the Pigeon Couple: Expiation and Refuge-Ethics

Devanagari script

नास्ति भार्यासमो बन्धुर्नास्ति भार्यासमा गति: । नास्ति भाययासमो लोके सहायो धर्मसंग्रहे

Transliteration

nāsti bhāryāsamo bandhur nāsti bhāryāsamā gatiḥ | nāsti bhāryāsamo loke sahāyo dharmasaṅgrahe ||

Translation

Bhīṣma dijo: «En este mundo no hay pariente igual a la esposa, no hay refugio ni rumbo de vida igual a la esposa, y en sostener y reunir el dharma no hay ayudante igual a la esposa. Ella es la compañera más cercana y el apoyo más eficaz para una vida ordenada por la rectitud».

Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अस्ति: is/exists
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (असँ)
• Form: Lat (present indicative), 3, singular, Parasmaipada

• भार्या-समः: equal to a wife
• भार्या-समः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भार्या + सम
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• बन्धुः: kinsman/friend/relative
• बन्धुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: बन्धु
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अस्ति: is/exists
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (असँ)
• Form: Lat (present indicative), 3, singular, Parasmaipada

• भार्या-समाः: equal to a wife
• भार्या-समाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भार्या + सम
• Form: feminine, nominative, singular

• गतिः: refuge/resort/way
• गतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति
• Form: feminine, nominative, singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अस्ति: is/exists
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (असँ)
• Form: Lat (present indicative), 3, singular, Parasmaipada

• भार्या-समः: equal to a wife
• भार्या-समः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भार्या + सम
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक
• Form: masculine, locative, singular

• सहायः: helper/ally
• सहायः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहाय
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• धर्म-संग्रहे: in the accumulation/observance of dharma
• धर्म-संग्रहे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म + संग्रह
• Form: masculine, locative, singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• bhāryā (wife)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that within worldly life—especially the gṛhastha (householder) sphere—the wife is the closest and most reliable companion: she functions as kin, refuge, and the foremost collaborator in sustaining and practicing dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. Here he emphasizes household ethics, highlighting the wife’s central role in supporting righteous living and the maintenance of social and moral order.