Shloka 30
कपोती-विलापः स्वर्गसंयोगश्च
The Dove’s Lament and Celestial Reunion
ताराब्यं कुमुदाकारमाकाशं निर्मल बहु । घनैर्मुक्ते नभो दृष्टवा लुब्धक: शीतविह्नल:
tārābhyaṃ kumudākāram ākāśaṃ nirmalaṃ bahu | ghanair mukte nabho dṛṣṭvā lubdhakaḥ śītavihvalaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Le ciel, tout constellé d’étoiles et d’une limpidité extrême, ressemblait à un lac orné de nénuphars blancs (kumuda) pleinement épanouis. Voyant les cieux délivrés des nuages, le chasseur—frissonnant de froid—porta son regard de tous côtés ; et, apercevant la nuit lourde de ténèbres, il se dit en lui-même que sa demeure était bien loin de là.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses vivid natural imagery to frame a moral-narrative moment: human beings, when confronted with hardship (cold, darkness, distance), are driven to inward reflection and prudent assessment of their situation—an ethical prelude to choosing the right course of action (dharma) amid uncertainty.
Bhishma describes a hunter on a cold, cloudless night. The star-filled, clear sky resembles a lake bright with white lilies. Shivering, the hunter looks around in the deep darkness and thinks to himself that his home is far away from where he currently stands.