Pigeon Couple

Bhishma to Yudhishthira - 

In the forest Once a fowler with limbs stiffened by cold, could neither stop where he was nor move due to heavy storm.

While in this state he eyed a she-pigeon lying on the ground, stiffened with cold. The sinful wight, though himself in the same predicament, beholding the bird, picked her up and immured her in a cage.  He then resolved to pass the night under the shade of that tree. 

In one of the branches of that tree lived the he - pigeon ,Seeing the night had come and his wife still unreturned, the bird began to indulge in lamentations:

'Oh, great has been the storm and painful the shower that came today! Alas, thou has not yet returned, O dear wife! Woe is on me, what can be the cause that she has not yet comeback to us? Is every thing right with that dear spouse of mine in the forest? Separated from her, this my home appears to me empty!

A house-holder's home, even if filled with

1. sons and
2. grandsons and
3. daughters-in-law and
4. servants, is regarded empty if destitute of the housewife. 

One's house is not one's home; one's wife only is one's home. A house without the wife is as desolate as the wilderness. If that dear wife of mine, of eyes fringed with red, of variegated plumes, and of sweet voice, does not come back today, my life itself will cease to be of any value.

Of excellent vows,

1. she never eats before I eat, and
2. never bathes before I bathe.
3. She never sits before I sit down, and
4. never lies before I lie down.
5. She rejoices if I rejoice, and
6. becomes sorry when I am sorry.
7. When I am away she becomes cheerless, and
8. when I am angry she ceases not to speak sweetly.
9. Ever devoted to her lord and
10. ever relying upon her lord,
11. she was ever employed in doing what was agreeable to and beneficial for her lord.  

Worthy of praise is that person on earth who own such a spouse. That amiable creature knows that I am fatigued and hungry. Devoted to me and constant in her love, my famous spouse is exceedingly sweet-tempered and worships me devoutly.

Even the foot of a tree is one's home if one lives there with one's spouse as a companion. Without one's spouse, a very palace is truly a desolate wilderness.

1. One's spouse is one's associate in all one's acts of Virtue, Profit and Pleasure.
2. When one sets out for a strange land one's wife is one's trusted companion.
3. It is said that the wife is the richest possession of her lord.
4. In this world the wife is the only associate of her lord in all the concerns of life.
5. The wife is ever the best of medicines that one can have in sickness and woe.
6. There is no friend like unto the wife.
7. There is no refuge better than the wife.
8. There is no better ally in the world than the wife in acts undertaken for the acquisition of religious merit. 

He that has not in his house a wife that is chaste and of agreeable speech, should go to the woods. For such a man there is no difference between home and wilderness.'" 

'Hearing those piteous lamentations of the pigeon on the tree, the she-pigeon seized by the fowler began to say to herself as follows.'

"The she-pigeon said,

'Whether I have any merit or not, verily there is no limit to any good fortune when my dear lord thus speaks of me.

1. She is no wife with whom her lord is not content.
2. In the case of women, if their lords be gratified with them all the deities also become so.
3. Since the marriage union takes place in the presence of fire, the husband is the wife's highest deity.
4. That wife with whom her husband is not pleased becomes consumed into ashes, even like a creeper adorned with bunches of flowers in a forest conflagration.' 

Having reflected thus, the she-pigeon, afflicted with woe, and immured by the fowler within his cage, thus spoke unto her woe-stricken lord,

'I shall say what is now beneficial for thee.' Hearing me follow thou my counsel,

O dear lord, be thou the rescuer of a suppliant. This fowler lies here by thy abode, afflicted with cold and hunger. Do him the duties of hospitality. The sin that a person commits by slaying a Brahmana or that mother of the world, viz., a cow, is equal to that which one incurs by suffering a suppliant to perish (from want of help). Thou art possessed of knowledge of self. It ever behoves one like thee, therefore, to follow that course which has been ordained for us as pigeons by the order of our birth. It has been heard by us that the householder who practises virtue according to the measure of his abilities, wins hereafter inexhaustible regions of bliss. Thou hast sons. Thou hast progeny. O bird, casting off all kindness for thy own body, therefore, and for winning virtue and profit, offer worship to this fowler so that his heart may be pleased. Do not, O bird, indulge in any grief on my account. (See, how unimportant I am!) Thou mayst continue to live, taking other wives!' The amiable she-pigeon, overcome with sorrow, and casting her eyes upon her lord from the fowler's cage within which she had been immured, said these words unto him.'"

'Hearing these words fraught with morality and reason that were spoken by his wife, the pigeon became filled with great delight and his eyes were bathed in tears of joy. Beholding that fowler whose avocation was the slaughter of birds, the pigeon honoured him scrupulously according to the rites laid down in the ordinance.

Addressing him, he said, 'Thou art welcome today. Tell me, what I shall do for thee. Thou shouldst not repine. This is thy home. Tell me quickly what I am to do and what is thy pleasure. I ask thee this in affection, for thou hast solicited shelter at our hands.

1. Hospitality should be shown to even one's foe when he comes to one's house.
2. The tree withdraws not its shade from even the person that approaches it for cutting it down. 

One should, with scrupulous care, do the duties of hospitality towards a person that craves for shelter. Indeed,

1. one is especially bound to do so if one happens to lead a life of domesticity that consists of the five sacrifices.
2. If one, while leading a life of domesticity, does not, from want of judgment, perform the five sacrifices, one loses, according to the scriptures, both this and the next world. 

Tell me then trustfully and in intelligible words what thy, wishes are. I will accomplish them all. Do not set thy heart on grief.' Hearing these words of the bird, the fowler replied unto him, saying,

'I am stiff with cold. Let provision be made for warming me.' Thus addressed, the bird gathered together a number of dry leaves on the ground, and taking a single leaf in his beak speedily went away for fetching fire. Proceeding to a spot where fire is kept, he obtained a little fire and came back to the spot. He then set fire to those dry leaves, and when they blazed forth into vigorous flames, he addressed his guest, saying,

'Do thou trustfully and without fear warm thy limbs.' Thus addressed, the fowler said, 'So be it.' And he set himself to warm his stiffened limbs. Recovering (as it were) his life-breathes the fowler said unto his winged host, 'Hunger is afflicting me. I wish thee to give me some food.'

Hearing his words the bird said, 'I have no stores by which to appease thy hunger.

1. We, denizens of the woods, always live upon what we get every day.
2. Like the ascetics of the forest we never hoard for the morrow.' 

Having said these words, the bird's face became pale (from shame). He began to reflect silently as to what he should do and mentally deprecated his own method of living. Soon, however, his mind became clear. Addressing the slaughterer of his species, the bird said, 'I shall gratify thee. Wait for a moment.' Saying these words, he ignited a fire with the help of some dry leaves, and filled with joy, said,

'I heard in former days from high-souled Rishis and gods and Pitris that there is great merit in honouring a guest. O amiable one, be kind to me. I tell thee truly that my heart is set upon honouring thee that art my guest.' Having formed this resolution, the high-souled bird with a smiling face, thrice circumambulated that fire and then entered its flames.

Beholding he bird enter that fire, the fowler began to think, and asked himself, 'What have I done? Alas, dark and terrible will be my sin, without doubt in consequence of my own acts! I am exceedingly cruel and worthy of reprobation. Indeed, observing the bird lay down his life, the fowler, deprecating his own acts, began to indulge in copious lamentations like thee.'"

 'The fowler, seeing the pigeon fall into the fire, became filled with compassion and once more said,

'Alas, cruel and senseless that I am, what have I done! I ant certainly a mean wretch! Great will be my sin for everlasting years! Indulging in such self-reproaches he began to say, repeatedly, 'I am unworthy of credit. My understanding is wicked. I am ever sinful in my resolves. Alas, abandoning all kinds of honourable occupation, I have become a fowler A cruel wretch that I am, without doubt, this high-souled pigeon, by laying down his own life, has read me a grave lesson. Abandoning wives and sons, I shall certainly cast off my very life-breaths that are so dear. The high-souled pigeon has taught me that duty.

From this day, denying every comfort to my body, I shall wear it out even as a shallow tank in the season of summer. Capable of bearing hunger, thirst, and penances, reduced to emaciation, and covered with visible veins all over, I shall, by diverse kinds of practise such vows as have a reference to the other world. Alas, by giving up his body, the pigeon has shown the worship that should be paid to a guest. Taught by his example. 

1. I shall henceforth practise righteousness. Righteousness is the highest refuge (of all creatures).
2. Indeed, I shall practise such righteousness as has been seen in the righteous pigeon, that foremost of all winged creatures.' 

Having formed such a resolution and said these words, that fowler, once of fierce deeds, proceeded to make an unreturning tour of the world, observing for the while the most rigid vows. He threw away his stout staff, his sharp-pointed iron-stick, his nets and springes, and his iron cage, and set at liberty the she-pigeon that he had seized and immured.'"

'After the fowler had left that spot, the she-pigeon, remembering her husband and afflicted with grief on his account, wept copiously and indulged in these lamentations,

1. 'I cannot, O dear lord, recollect a single instance of thy having done me an injury! Widows, even if mothers of many children, are still miserable! Bereft of her husband, a woman becomes helpless and an object of pity with her friends.
2. I was always cherished by thee, and in consequence of the great respect thou hadst for me
3. I was always honoured by thee with sweet, agreeable, charming, and delightful words.
4. I sported with thee in valleys, in springs of rivers, and on delightful tops of trees.
5. I was also made happy by thee while roving with thee through the skies.
6. I used to sport with thee before, O dear lord, but where are those joys now? Limited are the gifts of the father, of the brother, and of the son to a woman. The gifts that her husband alone makes to her are unlimited. What woman is there that would not, therefore, adore her lord? A woman has no protector like her lord, and no happiness like her lord. Abandoning all her wealth and possessions, a woman should take to her lord as her only refuge. Life here is of no use to me, O lord, now that I am separated from thee. What chaste woman is there that would, when deprived of her lord, venture to bear the burden of life?' Filled with sorrow and indulging in such piteous lamentations, the she-pigeon, devoted to her lord, cast herself on the blazing fire.  

She then beheld her (deceased) husband adorned with bracelets, seated on a (celestial) car, and adored by many high-souled and meritorious beings standing around him. Indeed, there he was in the firmament, decked with fine garlands and attired in excellent robes, and adorned with every ornament. Around him were innumerable celestial cars ridden by beings who had acted meritoriously while in this world. Seated on his own celestial car, the bird ascended to heaven, and obtaining proper honours for his deeds in this world, continued to sport in joy, accompanied by his wife.'"

No evil befalls the persons who listens every day to this story or who recites it every day, even if error invades his mind. 

O Yudhisthira, O foremost of all righteous persons, the protection of a suppliant is truly a high act of merit. Even the slayer of a cow, by practising this duty, maybe cleansed of sin. That human, however, will never be cleansed who slays a suppliant.

By listening to this sacred and sin-cleansing story one becomes freed from distress and attains to heaven at last.'"

Source

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m12/m12a142.htm