भीष्म उवाच विमानस्थौ तु तौ राजंल्लुब्धकः खे ददर्श ह। दृष्ट्वा तौ दम्पती राजन् व्यचिन्तयत तां गतिम्॥
Bhishma said lt so chanced that the fowler, O king, saw that pair while seated on their celestial car. Seeing the couple he became filled with sorrow and began to think of the means of acquiring the same end.
ईदृशेनैव तपसा गच्छेयं परमां गतिम्। इति बुद्ध्या विनिश्चित्य गमनायोपचक्रमे।॥
And he said to himself,-I must, by austerities like those of the pigeon, acquire such a high end!—Having made this resolution, the fowler, who had lived by the destruction of birds, started on an unreturning journey.
महाप्रस्थानमाश्रित्य लुब्धकः पक्षिजीवकः। निश्चेष्टो मरुदाहारो निर्ममः स्वर्गकाझया॥
Without any attempt (for getting food) and living upon air alone, he renounced all other desires for acquiring heaven.
ततोऽपश्यत् सुविस्तीर्णं हृद्यं पद्माभिभूषितम्। नानापक्षिगणाकीर्णं सरः शीतजलं शिवम्॥
After he had gone for some distance, he saw an extensive and charming lake full of cool and pure water, adorned with lotuses and abounding with various sorts of water-fowi.
पिपासार्तोऽपि तद् दृष्ट्वा तृप्त: स्यान्नात्र संशयः। उपवासकृशोऽत्यर्थं स तु पार्थिव लुब्धकः॥ अनवेक्ष्यैव संहृष्टः श्वापदाध्युषितं वनम्। महान्तं निश्चयं कृत्वा लुब्धकः प्रविवेश ह॥ प्रविशन्नेव स वनं निगृहीतः सकण्टकैः।
Forsooth, the very sight of such a lake is capable of satisfying the thirst of a person. Physically reduced with fasts, the fowler, however, O king, without casting his eyes upon it, gladly entered into a forest inhabited by beasts of prey, having previously learnt its wide extent. After he had entered the forest, he was painfully cut by sharp-pointed thorns.
स कण्टकैर्विभिन्नाङ्गो लोहितार्दीकृतच्छविः॥ बभ्राम तस्मिन् विजने नानामृगसमाकुले।
Cut and torn by prickles, and bathed in blood, he began to wander in that forest, shorn of men but abounding with animals of various species.
ततो दुमाणां महता पवनेन वने तदा॥ उदतिष्ठत संघर्षात् सुमहान् हव्यवाहनः।
Sometime after, on account of the friction of some huge trees caused by a strong wind, a wide spread forest-fire arose.
तद् वनं वृक्षसम्पूर्ण लताविटपसंकुलम्॥ ददाह पावकः क्रुद्धो युगान्ताग्निसमप्रभः।
The raging element, appearing like the fire at the end of the Cycle, the powerful fire began to consume that large forest abounding with tall trees and thick bushes and creepers.
स ज्वालैः पवनोदतैर्विस्फुलिङ्गैःसमन्ततः॥ ददाह तद् वनं घोरं मृगपक्षिसमाकुलम्।
Indeed, with flames fanned by the wind and numberless sparks flying about in all directions, the all-consuming god began to consume that dense forest teeming with birds and beasts.
ततः स देहमोक्षार्थं सम्प्रहृष्टेन चेतसा॥ अभ्यधावत वर्धन्तं पावकं लुब्धकस्तदा।
The fowler, desirous of renouncing his body, ran with a delighted heart towards that spreading fire.
ततस्तेनाग्निना दग्धो लुब्धको नष्टकल्मषः। जगाम परमां सिद्धिं ततो भरतसत्तम॥
Consumed by that fire the fowler became purged of all his sins and acquired, O best of the Bharatas, high success.
ततः स्वर्गस्थमात्मानमपश्यद् विगतज्वरः। यक्षगन्धर्वसिद्धानां मध्ये भ्राजन्तमिन्द्रवत्॥
The anxiety of his mind gone, he at last saw himself in heaven, shining like Indra in midst of Yakshas and Gandharvas and persons endued with ascetic success.
एवं खलु कपोतश्च कपोती च पतिव्रता। लुब्धकेन सह स्वर्गं गताः पुण्येन कर्मणा॥
Thus the pigeon and his devoted wife, with the fowler, went to heaven for their meritorious acts.
यापि चैवंविधा नारी भर्तारमनुवर्तते। विराजते हि सा क्षिप्रं कपोतीव दिवि स्थिता॥
The woman who thus follows her husband speedily ascends to heaven and shines there like the she-pigeon of whom I have spoken.
एवमेतत् पुरावृत्तं लुब्धकस्य महात्मनः। कपोतस्य च धर्मिष्ठा गतिः पुण्येन कर्मणा॥
This is the ancient history of the great fowler and the pigeon. Thus did they acquire highly meritorious end by their righteous acts.
यश्चेदं शृणुयान्नित्यं यश्चेदं परिकीर्तयेत्। नाशुभं विद्यते तस्य मनसापि प्रमादतः॥
No evil overtakes the person who listens every day to this story or who recites it every day, even if error possesses his mind.
युधिष्ठिर महानेष धर्मो धर्मभृतां वर। गोनेष्वपि भवेदस्मिनिष्कृतिः पापकर्मणः॥
O Yudhishthira, O foremost of all righteous persons, the protection of a suppliant is, indeed, a great act of merit. By following this duty, even the killer of a cow may be cleansed of sin.
न निष्कृतिर्भवेत् तस्य यो हन्याच्छरणागतम्। इतिहासमिमं श्रुत्वा पुण्यं पापप्रणाशनम्। न दुर्गतिमवाप्नोति स्वर्गलोकं च गच्छति॥
That man, however, will never be cleansed who kills a suppliant. By listening to this sacred and sin-destroying story one becomes freed from distress and goes to heaven at last.'