Shloka 31
कपोती-विलापः स्वर्गसंयोगश्च
The Dove’s Lament and Celestial Reunion
दिशो विलोकयामास विगाढ़ां प्रेक्ष्य शर्वरीम् दूरतो मे निवेशश्व अस्माद् देशादिति प्रभो
diśo vilokayāmāsa vigāḍhāṁ prekṣya śarvarīm | dūrato me niveśaś ca asmād deśād iti prabho prabho ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Voyant la nuit devenue dense de ténèbres, il regarda autour de lui dans toutes les directions. Devant cette obscurité profonde, il se dit en lui-même : “Ô seigneur, ma demeure est loin d’ici.” Le ciel, clair, rempli d’étoiles et délivré des nuages, semblait un lac paré de nénuphars blancs (kumuda) entièrement épanouis ; pourtant, frissonnant de froid, le chasseur scrutait encore les horizons, inquiet de la longue distance qui le séparait de sa maison.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights practical discernment and human vulnerability: even amid a beautiful, clear night sky, one must attend to real conditions—cold, darkness, distance—and act with foresight. It subtly supports dharma as prudent, reality-based conduct rather than mere aesthetic delight.
A hunter, shivering in the cold, looks to all directions and, seeing the night’s deep darkness, thinks to himself that his home is far from where he is. Bhīṣma narrates this scene as part of the broader instruction in Śānti Parva.