Shloka 8
लुब्धक-कपोत-कपोती-आख्यानम्
The Hunter and the Pigeon Couple: Expiation and Refuge-Ethics
न भुड्धक्ते मय्यभुक्ते या नास्नाते स्नाति सुव्रता । नातिष्ठत्युपतिछेत शेते च शयिते मयि
na bhuktānte mayy abhukte yā nāsnāte snāti suvratā | nātiṣṭhaty upatiṣṭhet śete ca śayite mayi ||
Dijo Bhīṣma: «Era una mujer de votos excelentes, firme en la fidelidad conyugal. No comía si yo no había comido; no se bañaba si yo no me había bañado. No se sentaba sin antes hacerme sentar, y sólo se recostaba a dormir después de que yo me hubiera dormido.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined, self-restrained devotion within household life: the wife’s conduct is portrayed as attentive service and prioritizing the husband’s needs, presented as an ideal of patnī-dharma (wifely duty) and suvrata (observance of vows).
Bhishma describes the exemplary behavior of a devoted wife, listing her daily practices—eating, bathing, sitting, and sleeping only after him—to illustrate her steadfast vow and attentive service.