इयम् अम्बेति विख्याता ज्येष्ठा काशिपतेः सुता ॥
अम्बिकाम्बालिके त्व् अन्ये यवीयस्यौ तपोधन ॥
समेतं पार्थिवं क्षत्रं काशिपुर्यां ततो ऽभवत् ॥
कन्यानिमित्तं ब्रह्मर्षे तत्रासीद् उत्सवो महान् ॥
ततः किल महावीर्यो भीष्मः शांतनवो नृपान् ॥
अवाक्षिप्य महातेजास् तिस्रः कन्या जहार ताः ॥
निर्जित्य पृथिवीपालान् अथ भीष्मो गजाह्वयम् ॥
आजगाम विशुद्धात्मा कन्याभिः सह भारत ॥
सत्यवत्यै निवेद्याथ विवाहार्थम् अनन्तरम् ॥
भ्रातुर् विचित्रवीर्यस्य समाज्ञापयत प्रभुः ॥
iyam ambeti vikhyātā jyeṣṭhā kāśipateḥ sutā ||
ambikāmbālike tv anye yavīyasyau tapodhana ||
sametaṃ pārthivaṃ kṣatraṃ kāśipuryāṃ tato 'bhavat ||
kanyānimittaṃ brahmarṣe tatrāsīd utsavo mahān ||
tataḥ kila mahāvīryo bhīṣmaḥ śāṃtanavo nṛpān ||
avākṣipya mahātejās tisraḥ kanyā jahāra tāḥ ||
nirjitya pṛthivīpālān atha bhīṣmo gajāhvayam ||
ājagāma viśuddhātmā kanyābhiḥ saha bhārata ||
satyavatyai nivedyātha vivāhārtham anantaram ||
bhrātur vicitravīryasya samājñāpayata prabhuḥ ||
"She is known as Ambā, the eldest daughter of the lord of Kāśī. The other two, younger, O treasure of austerity, are Ambikā and Ambālikā. Then the royal kṣatriya host gathered in the city of Kāśī; O brahman sage, on account of the maiden a great festival was held there. Then, as they say, Bhīṣma, son of Śāṃtanu, of great valor and great splendor, casting aside the kings, carried off these three maidens. Having vanquished the rulers of the earth, the pure-souled Bhīṣma arrived with the maidens at Hastināpura, O Bhārata. Then, having informed Satyavatī, he gave orders for what followed, for the marriage of his brother Vicitravīrya."
b87d00e96242 · 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.