Read the previous part here…
The pigeon only blamed himself for his misery, and not the hunter. He again told the hunter “Please wait for just a few moments. I will offer you food and satiate your hunger.”
एवम् उक्त्वा स धर्मात्मा प्रहृष्टेनान्तरात्मना ।
तम् अग्निं सम्परिक्रम्य प्रविवेश स्व-वेश्मवत् ॥ १६८ ॥
evam uktvā sa dharmātmā prahṛṣṭenāntarātmanā |
tam agniṃ samparikramya praviveśa sva-veśmavat || 168 ||
Having said this, that righteous soul, with nothing but happiness in his mind, went around the fire three times, and entered it as if it was his own home.
ततस् तं लुब्धको दृष्ट्वा कृपया पीडितो भृशम् ।
कपोतम् अग्नौ पतितं वाक्यम् एतद् अभाषत ॥ १६९ ॥
tatas taṃ lubdhako dṛṣṭvā kṛpayā pīḍito bhṛśam |
kapotam agnau patitaṃ vākyam etad abhāṣata || 169 ||
The hunter saw the pigeon, fallen into the fire, and his heart broke. He was filled with compassion and sadness, and he said…
यः करोति नरः पापं न तस्यात्मा ध्रुवं प्रियः ।
आत्मना हि कृतं पापम् आत्मनैव हि भुज्यते ॥ १७० ॥
yaḥ karoti naraḥ pāpaṃ na tasyātmā dhruvaṃ priyaḥ |
ātmanā hi kṛtaṃ pāpam ātmanaiva hi bhujyate || 170 ||
He who commits a sin dislikes himself for sure. Because the consequences of sins committed by him have to borne by him alone.
If he liked himself, he would not have committed sins in the first place, thus saving himself from the consequences of his bad actions.
सो ऽहं पाप-मतिश् चैव पाप-कर्म-रतः सदा ।
पतिष्यामि महा-घोरे नरके नात्र संशयः ॥ १७१ ॥
so ‘haṃ pāpa-matiś caiva pāpa-karma-rataḥ sadā |
patiṣyāmi mahā-ghore narake nātra saṃśayaḥ || 171 ||
I am a wicked soul. I have always done wicked things and committed many sins. I will surely go to hell and suffer the consequences, there is no doubt about this.
नूनं मम नृशंसस्य प्रत्यादर्शः सुदर्शितः ।
प्रयच्छता स्व-मांसानि कपोतेन महात्मना ॥ १७२ ॥
nūnaṃ mama nṛśaṃsasya pratyādarśaḥ sudarśitaḥ |
prayacchatā sva-māṃsāni kapotena mahātmanā || 172 ||
This beautiful soul offered his own flesh and demonstrated to a wicked person like me, how one should lead an ideal life.
अद्य-प्रभृति देहं स्वं सर्व-भोग-विवर्जितम् ।
तोयं स्वल्पं यथा ग्रीष्मः शोषयिष्याम्य् अहं पुनः ॥ १७३ ॥
adya-prabhṛti dehaṃ svaṃ sarva-bhoga-vivarjitam |
toyaṃ svalpaṃ yathā grīṣmaḥ śoṣayiṣyāmy ahaṃ punaḥ || 173 ||
शीत-वातातप-सहः कृशाङ्गो मलिनस् तथा ।
उपवासैर् बहुविधैश् चरिष्ये धर्मम् उत्तमम् ॥ १७४ ॥ ततो यष्टिं शलाकां च जालकं पञ्जरं तथा ।
śīta-vātātapa-sahaḥ kṛśāṅgo malinas tathā |
upavāsair bahuvidhaiś cariṣye dharmam uttamam || 174 || tato yaṣṭiṃ śalākāṃ ca jālakaṃ pañjaraṃ tathā |
From today, I will start my penance and repent for what I have done. I will control the needs of my body and forsake pleasure like water that dries up in a shallow bowl in summer. I will bear heat, cold and extremes to starve my body and strive towards righteousness. This way, I will repent for all my sins.
And saying this, the hunter broke the stick, tore his net, and released the pigeon from the cage, and broke the cage into small pieces.
लुब्धकेन ततो मुक्ता दृष्ट्वाग्नौ पतितं पतिम् ।
कपोती विललापार्ता शोक-सन्तप्त-मानसा ॥ १७६ ॥
lubdhakena tato muktā dṛṣṭvāgnau patitaṃ patim |
kapotī vilalāpārtā śoka-santapta-mānasā || 176 ||
The freed pigeon saw her husband who had perished in the fire and cried out loud, unable to bear her grief.
न कार्यम् अद्य मे नाथ जीवितेन त्वया विना ।
दीनायाः पति-हीनायाः किं नार्या जीविते फलम् ॥ १७७ ॥
na kāryam adya me nātha jīvitena tvayā vinā |
dīnāyāḥ pati-hīnāyāḥ kiṃ nāryā jīvite phalam || 177 ||
मानो दर्पस् त्व् अहङ्कारः कुलं पूजा च बन्धुषु ।
दास-भृत्य-जनेष्व् आज्ञा वैधव्येन प्रणश्यति ॥ १७८ ॥
māno darpas tv ahaṅkāraḥ kulaṃ pūjā ca bandhuṣu |
dāsa-bhṛtya-janeṣv ājñā vaidhavyena praṇaśyati || 178 ||
My love! I cannot live in this world without you…of what use is my life now, without your love and caring? Pride, arrogance, ego, respect, all is lost without your presence in my life!
एवं विलप्य बहुशः कृपणं भृश-दुःखिता ।
पतिव्रता सुसन्दीप्तं तम् एवाग्निं विवेश सा ॥ १७९ ॥
evaṃ vilapya bahuśaḥ kṛpaṇaṃ bhṛśa-duḥkhitā |
pativratā susandīptaṃ tam evāgniṃ viveśa sā || 179 ||
And so she cried for long, and then, unable to bear the pain of losing her beloved, she too entered the same fire that had consumed her husband.
ततो दिव्याम्बर-धरा दिव्याभरण-भूषिता ।
भर्तारं सा विमानस्थं ददर्श स्वं कपोतिका ॥ १८० ॥
tato divyāmbara-dharā divyābharaṇa-bhūṣitā |
bhartāraṃ sā vimānasthaṃ dadarśa svaṃ kapotikā || 180 ||
That pigeon then saw herself wearing divine garments and divine ornaments. She also saw her husband, seated on a cloud beside her. He looked at her lovingly and said – ” You came to me, I am so happy. I could not bear your separation as well. Our love is divine, and we will be together for the rest of eternity. “
कपोत-देहः सूर्यास्ते प्रत्यहं सुखम् अन्वभूत् ।
कपोत-देहवत्सासीत् प्राक् पुण्य-प्रभवं हितम् ॥ १८३ ॥
kapota-dehaḥ sūryāste pratyahaṃ sukham anvabhūt |
kapota-dehavatsāsīt prāk puṇya-prabhavaṃ hitam || 183 ||
And so they lived in pleasure, in their own pigeon-bodies, loving each other every day, every year and every Yuga thereafter. Their union was the fruit of their good deeds and their karma, and was theirs to enjoy for eternity.
हर्षाविष्टस् ततो व्याधो विवेश च वनं धनम् ।
प्राणि-हिंसां परित्यज्य बहु-निर्वेदवान् भृशम् ॥ १८४ ॥
harṣāviṣṭas tato vyādho viveśa ca vanaṃ dhanam |
prāṇi-hiṃsāṃ parityajya bahu-nirvedavān bhṛśam || 184 ||
तत्र दावानलं दृष्ट्वा विवेश विरताशयः ।
निर्दग्ध-कल्मषो भूत्वा स्वर्ग-सौख्यम् अवाप्तवान् ॥ १८५ ॥
tatra dāvānalaṃ dṛṣṭvā viveśa viratāśayaḥ |
nirdagdha-kalmaṣo bhūtvā svarga-saukhyam avāptavān || 185 ||
The hunter witnessed the sacrifice of the two pigeons and with a heavy heart, bowed to them and spent many years repenting for his past actions. One day, he saw a huge forest fire, and with folded hands, he walked into it, free from all his desires. His sins were burnt away, and he too went to heaven.
“That is why I said”, concluded Kroorāksha,
श्रूयते हि कपोतेन शत्रुः शरणम् आगतः ।
पूजितश् च यथा-न्यायं स्वैश् च मांसैर् निमन्त्रितः ॥ १३४ ॥
śrūyate hi kapotena śatruḥ śaraṇam āgataḥ |
pūjitaś ca yathā-nyāyaṃ svaiś ca māṃsair nimantritaḥ || 134 ||
It is heard that the pigeon not only welcomed his enemy who sought shelter, but also offered his own flesh as food.
to be continued…