Shloka 16

शल्मलि–पवनसंवादः

The Dialogue of Śalmali and Pavana

Devanagari script

एवमेतत्‌ पुरावृत्तं लुब्धकस्य महात्मन: । कपोतस्य च धर्मिष्ठा गति: पुण्येन कर्मणा

Transliteration

evam etat purāvṛttaṃ lubdhakasya mahātmanaḥ | kapotasya ca dharmiṣṭhā gatiḥ puṇyena karmaṇā ||

Translation

毗湿摩说道：“诚然如此——此乃古昔之事。凭其正行之功德，猎人与那高贵之鸽，皆得入于合乎达摩的归趣——即贤善者所享的福乐命途。”

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus, in this manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• एतत्: this (thing/story)
• एतत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• पुरा: formerly, long ago
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा

• वृत्तम्: happened event, occurrence, tale
• वृत्तम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत्त
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• लुब्धकस्य: of the hunter
• Type: Noun
• Root: लुब्धक
• Form: masculine, genitive, singular

• महात्मनः: of the great-souled one
• Type: Noun
• Root: महात्मन्
• Form: masculine, genitive, singular

• कपोतस्य: of the pigeon/dove
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपोत
• Form: masculine, genitive, singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• धर्मिष्ठा: most righteous, very virtuous
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्मिष्ठ
• Form: feminine, nominative, singular

• गतिः: course, destiny, (final) state
• गतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति
• Form: feminine, nominative, singular

• पुण्येन: by/through merit
• पुण्येन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य
• Form: neuter, instrumental, singular

• कर्मणा: by (their) deed/action
• कर्मणा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन्
• Form: neuter, instrumental, singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• lubdhaka (hunter/fowler)
• kapota (pigeon/dove)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is measured by conduct and intention, not by social identity: even a hunter, when acting with virtue and responding rightly to a dharmic example, can attain a blessed destiny through puṇya-karma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma concludes an old illustrative tale, stating that the episode demonstrates how both the hunter (lubdhaka) and the pigeon (kapota) reached a righteous, meritorious end due to their virtuous actions.