Shloka 4
लुब्धक-कपोत-कपोती-आख्यानम्
The Hunter and the Pigeon Couple: Expiation and Refuge-Ethics
अपि स्वस्ति भवेत् तस्या: प्रियाया मम कानने । तया विरहितं हीद॑ शून्यमद्य गृहं मम
api svasti bhavet tasyāḥ priyāyā mama kānane | tayā virahitaṃ hīdaṃ śūnyam adya gṛhaṃ mama ||
Bhishma berkata: “Moga sejahtera menyertai kekasihku itu di rimba. Tanpanya, rumahku pada hari ini benar-benar kosong.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how genuine attachment and care express themselves as a blessing for the other’s welfare, and how absence can render even a materially complete home ‘empty’—pointing to the ethical truth that human life is sustained by relationships, responsibility, and heartfelt concern rather than possessions alone.
Bhīṣma voices a personal, intimate reflection: he wishes safety and auspiciousness for his beloved who is in the forest, and confesses that without her his home feels void. The line conveys emotional loss (viraha) and the immediacy of longing.