क्व संप्रति महाबाहो जामदग्न्यः प्रतापवान् ॥
अकृतव्रण शक्यो वै द्रष्टुं वेदविदां वरः ॥
अकृतव्रण उवाच
भवन्तम् एव सततं रामः कीर्तयति प्रभो ॥
सृञ्जयो मे प्रियसखो राजर्षिर् इति पार्थिव ॥
इह रामः प्रभाते श्वो भवितेति मतिर् मम ॥
द्रष्टास्य् एनम् इहायान्तं तव दर्शनकाङ्क्षया ॥
इयं च कन्या राजर्षे किमर्थं वनम् आगता ॥
कस्य चेयं तव च का भवतीच्छामि वेदितुम् ॥
होत्रवाहन उवाच
दौहित्रीयं मम विभो काशिराजसुता शुभा ॥
ज्येष्ठा स्वयंवरे तस्थौ भगिनीभ्यां सहानघ ॥
kva saṃprati mahābāho jāmadagnyaḥ pratāpavān ||
akṛtavraṇa śakyo vai draṣṭuṃ vedavidāṃ varaḥ ||
akṛtavraṇa uvāca
bhavantam eva satataṃ rāmaḥ kīrtayati prabho ||
sṛñjayo me priyasakho rājarṣir iti pārthiva ||
iha rāmaḥ prabhāte śvo bhaviteti matir mama ||
draṣṭāsy enam ihāyāntaṃ tava darśanakāṅkṣayā ||
iyaṃ ca kanyā rājarṣe kimarthaṃ vanam āgatā ||
kasya ceyaṃ tava ca kā bhavatīcchāmi veditum ||
hotravāhana uvāca
dauhitrīyaṃ mama vibho kāśirājasutā śubhā ||
jyeṣṭhā svayaṃvare tasthau bhaginībhyāṃ sahānagha ||
"O mighty-armed Akṛtavraṇa, where is the powerful son of Jamadagni now, the foremost of the knowers of the Veda? Can he be seen?" Akṛtavraṇa said: "O lord, Rāma constantly extols you, saying, 'The royal sage Sṛñjaya is my dear friend,' O king. In my judgment, Rāma will be here tomorrow morning. You shall see him arrive here, longing to meet you. But this maiden, O royal sage, why has she come to the forest? Whose is she, and what is she to you? I wish to know." Hotravāhana said: "O lord, this lovely daughter of the king of Kāśī is the daughter of my daughter. O sinless one, as the eldest she stood at the svayaṃvara together with her two sisters."
ffd47002d6e1 · published Jul 17, 2026, 6:36:31 AM UTC
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Hotravāhana sends Ambā not merely to a mighty warrior, but to Rāma Jāmadagnya — an ascetic, a keeper of vows, and an unsurpassed wielder of arms. The account given before Akṛtavraṇa gathers the whole chain of causes anew: Bhīṣma's abduction of the princesses, Ambā's confession about Śālva, her release, Śālva's refusal, and her arrival in the forest. The precision of this retelling matters: before seeking redress, one must clearly name the source of the suffering and the measure of each party's responsibility. Ambā resolves to submit to Rāma's word, because her personal pain now enters the domain of dharma, of vows, and of righteous judgment.