Shloka 14
लुब्धक-कपोत-कपोती-आख्यानम्
The Hunter and the Pigeon Couple: Expiation and Refuge-Ethics
भार्या हि परमो हार्थ: पुरुषस्येह पठ्यते | असहायस्य लोके<स्मिंललोकयात्रासहायिनी
bhāryā hi paramo hārthaḥ puruṣasyeha paṭhyate | asahāyasya loke 'smin lokayātrāsahāyinī ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “Sa mundong ito, itinuturing na ang pinakamataas na yaman ng lalaki ay ang kanyang asawa. Kahit ang taong walang ibang masasandalan, siya ang tumutulong upang maipagpatuloy ang paglalakbay ng buhay sa daigdig.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that within dharma-oriented worldly life, the wife is regarded as a person’s highest ‘wealth’—not merely materially, but as the essential companion who enables stability, duty, and the sustaining of life’s journey.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right living, Bhishma is advising about the foundations of household life, emphasizing the wife’s role as the primary support and partner in navigating worldly responsibilities.