Shloka 4

Devanagari script

प्रपात्यमान: श्येनेन कपोत: प्रियदर्शन: । वृषदर्भ महाभागं नरेन्द्र शरणं गत:,एक समयकी बात है, एक बाज किसी सुन्दर कबूतरको मार रहा था। वह कबूतर बाजके डरसे भागकर महाभाग राजा वृषदर्भ (उशीनर)-की शरणमें गया

Transliteration

prapātyamānaḥ śyenena kapotaḥ priyadarśanaḥ | vṛṣadarbha mahābhāgaṃ narendra śaraṇaṃ gataḥ ||

Translation

भीष्म म्हणाले—एकदा एका सुंदर कबुतरावर ससाणा झडप घालत होता. भयाने पळत ते महाभाग नरेन्द्र वृषदर्भ (उशीनर) यांच्या शरणास आले.

Word by Word

प्रपात्यमानःbeing struck down / being made to fall

श्येनेनby the hawk

कपोतःthe pigeon

प्रियदर्शनःpleasant-looking / of lovely appearance

वृषदर्भO Vṛṣadarbha

महाभागम्the greatly fortunate (one)

नरेन्द्रO king (lord of men)

शरणम्refuge

गतःwent / having gone

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Vṛṣadarbha (Uśīnara)

kapota (pigeon)

śyena (hawk)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse introduces the dharma of refuge: when a frightened being seeks shelter, especially from a ruler, protection becomes a moral obligation. It foregrounds the king’s role as guardian of the vulnerable, even when the threat is powerful.

What is happening in the narrative?

A hawk attacks a pigeon. The pigeon escapes and runs to the noble king Vṛṣadarbha (Uśīnara) for protection, setting up a moral test about whether the king will uphold the duty of granting refuge.