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 disse: “Vendo a noite tornar-se densa de escuridão, ele olhou ao redor em todas as direções. Observando aquele negrume profundo, refletiu consigo: ‘Ó senhor, minha morada fica longe deste lugar.’ O céu, claro, cheio de estrelas e livre de nuvens, parecia um lago adornado por lírios-d’água brancos (kumuda) plenamente abertos; ainda assim, tremendo de frio, o caçador perscrutava os quadrantes, inquieto com a longa distância até sua casa.”
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.