Shloka 12
लुब्धक-कपोत-कपोती-आख्यानम्
The Hunter and the Pigeon Couple: Expiation and Refuge-Ethics
वृक्षमूलेडपि दयिता यस्य तिष्ठति तद् गृहम् । प्रासादो5पि तया हीन: कान्तार इति निश्चितम्
vṛkṣamūle ’pi dayitā yasya tiṣṭhati tad gṛham | prāsādo ’pi tayā hīnaḥ kāntāra iti niścitam ||
毗湿摩说道：“纵使住在树根之下，只要爱妻相伴，那里便是真正的家；而即便是宫殿，若缺了她的身影，也必定不胜于荒凉旷野。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A home is defined by loving companionship and shared life, not by material grandeur. With one’s beloved present, even extreme simplicity becomes ‘home’; without her, even a palace becomes spiritually and emotionally barren.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right living, Bhīṣma offers a proverbial contrast—tree-root dwelling versus palace—to teach that the essence of household life lies in the presence of one’s dear companion, not in external prosperity.