Written by London Swaminathan

Post No. 14,979

Date uploaded in London –  13 September 2025

Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com

Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.

this is a non- commercial blog. Thanks for your great pictures.

tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com

xxxx  

A famous story of two pigeons Kapota and Kapoti is in the Shanti Parva of Mahabharata. Hindus are the only people who treat birds and animals as their own kith and kin. This is in all the stories of Panchatantra and before that, in Ramayana and Mahabharata. Aesop and Jataka stories copied Hindus and changed it slightly to hide their copying act.

India is full of temples associated with animals and birds. Those who study place names will come across such stories. In Tamil Nadu, temples are linked with Ant to Elephant. Other parts of India have stories connected with snakes. Hindus feed the ants and elephants without any discrimination.

What state of being does a person achieve in giving protection to the one who seeks it? was the question put to Bhishma and he answered the question:

A cruel hunter went to a dense forest for hunting. His job was to catch birds and sell them to the village folks. They were all flesh eaters. While he was hunting on a particular day a storm broke out. The forest was flooded. Sun was setting. All the animals and birds were running for shelter. Because it was cold all were shivering. And the hunter was also suffering from cold. at that time, he saw a female pigeon lying in the grass and caught it and put it in his cage. He also took shelter under a tree where many birds were living.

He heard a bird saying,

“Today there was a storm, and it rained heavily. My wife has not yet returned. that was the kapota, Sanskrit word for a female pigeon.

Where is she? Without her, my nest is desolate. Having a son, grandson, daughter in law, servants, a householder’s home is still desolate without his wife.

A house is not home. It is from the wife that the home derives its name. A household without wife is only wilderness.

With one’s wife it is home even under a tree; without the wife even, a palace is wilderness; there is no doubt about it.

For a man there is no wealth greater than his wife. Should he have no support in the whole world, his wife will be his support.

To a man ravaged by illness, and forever in deep trouble, there is no healing greater than the wife.

There exists no friend such as wife, no recourse such as the wife nor there exists a companion such as a wife who helps one in the ordering of one’s life”.

This is in chapter 144 of Shanti Parva and the story continues……………………..

Having heard her husband’s moan, Kapoti spoke from the cage,

“What I will now say to you is to your good, and please do think what you should. Offer protection to this bird catcher, who is feeling cold and hungry. Do your dharma as a householder. You should not worry about me. To live your earthly life you can aways find another wife”.

Immediately her husband pigeonKapota said to the bird catcher,

“Even if one’s enemy come’s to one’s home, one should receive one with hospitality. A tree does not deny its shade even to the person who has come to cut it.” (Shanti Parva-146-6) .

The hunter said that he was hungry. Husband bird gathered some bush near the tree and took a fire burning charcoal from an Ironsmith in the village and lighted the bush fire. He threw himself into the fire so that the hunter could eat its flesh.

Like Valmiki, the heartless hunter’s mind changed, and he threw away all the hunting tools and opened the cage and released Kapota’s wife Kapoti. As a transformed man he walked away. The released Kapoti felt that her husband sacrificed his life to protect the person who came to his house. Kapoti, the female pigeon, happily threw herself into the same fire and perished.

Kapota and Kapota might have perished in body. But their name and fame ill last as long as the Sun and Moon shine on this earth.

***

My comments

Sanskrit and Tamil have come from Lord Shiva according to three Tamil poets Paranjoti, Sivagnana Munivar and the greatest of the modern Tamil poets Subrahmanya Bharati. Both the languages have same concept of Home and Wife.

Home – Gruham- Il

Wife – Gruhini- Illaal

Both the languages have Pancha Yajnam (five tasks)  that a man should do every day. Hospitality towards visitors is one of them and it is called Athithi Yajna. Sita Devi and Tamil Kannaki lamented that they were going to lose the duty of hospitality while they were away from home.

Since we do not see these virtues anywhere in the world except Hindus speaking Sanskrit and Tamil, we may conclude that they are one and the same. Those who have studied ancient Sanskrit and Tamil literature can give hundreds of quotations on this topic Hospitality.

(This blog has such quotations listed separately)

–subham—

Tags – Good wife,  Part 7, Mahabharata, sacrifice , two pigeons, Kapota, Kapoti, Shanti Parva.