12.145
Bhīṣma said.
O king, the hunter saw those two in the aerial car. Seeing them, the couple, out of sorrow, thought about their good state (liberation).
Having determined with my intellect, "By what kind of austerity here might I attain the supreme goal?", I began my journey.
Having undertaken the great departure, the hunter who lived on birds remained motionless, subsisting only on air, free from all possessiveness, desiring heaven.
Then he saw a vast and delightful lake adorned with lotuses, teeming with many kinds of birds, its water cool and auspicious. Even someone tormented by thirst would be satisfied just by seeing it; there is no doubt about this.
But the hunter, emaciated from excessive fasting, gladdened, approached the forest inhabited by wild animals, O king.
The hunter, having firmly resolved, entered; and as he was entering the forest, he was caught by thorns.
He, his body bent and wounded by thorns, his appearance reddened and wet, wandered in that lonely wilderness teeming with many kinds of animals.
Then, at that time in the forest, a very great fire (Agni) arose from the friction of the great trees due to the wind.
The angry fire, blazing like the fire at the end of an age, burned that forest, which was filled with trees and thick with creepers and branches.
The fire, blazing and wind-driven, with sparks, consumed that dreadful forest teeming with animals and birds.
Then, the hunter, seeking liberation from his body, joyfully ran towards the blazing fire.
Then, O best of the Bharatas, by that fire, the hunter, with his sins destroyed, attained the highest perfection.
Then, freed from his fever, he saw himself in heaven, shining among the Yakṣas, Gandharvas, and Siddhas, like Indra.
Thus, the male dove and the devoted female dove, along with the hunter, attained heaven through virtuous deeds.
A woman who is of such a kind and follows her husband, she indeed quickly shines, like a female pigeon situated in the sky.
Thus, this is what happened in the past: the story of the great-souled hunter and the most righteous pigeon, whose course was determined by virtuous action.
Whoever always listens to this and whoever recites this, for him, even if negligent, there is no inauspiciousness, not even in thought.
O Yudhishthira, this is the supreme righteousness, O best among the upholders of dharma. Even for those who kill cows, atonement is possible for their sinful acts. But there is no atonement for one who kills someone who has sought refuge.
