राम उवाच
प्रत्यक्षम् एतल् लोकानां सर्वेषाम् एव भामिनि ॥
यथा मया परं शक्त्या कृतं वै पौरुषं महत् ॥
न चैव युधि शक्नोमि भीष्मं शस्त्रभृतां वरम् ॥
विशेषयितुम् अत्यर्थम् उत्तमास्त्राणि दर्शयन् ॥
एषा मे परमा शक्तिर् एतन् मे परमं बलम् ॥
यथेष्टं गम्यतां भद्रे किम् अन्यद् वा करोमि ते ॥
भीष्मम् एव प्रपद्यस्व न ते ऽन्या विद्यते गतिः ॥
निर्जितो ह्य् अस्मि भीष्मेण महास्त्राणि प्रमुञ्चता ॥
भीष्म उवाच
एवम् उक्त्वा ततो रामो विनिःश्वस्य महामनाः ॥
तूष्णीम् आसीत् तदा कन्या प्रोवाच भृगुनन्दनम् ॥
rāma uvāca
pratyakṣam etal lokānāṃ sarveṣām eva bhāmini ||
yathā mayā paraṃ śaktyā kṛtaṃ vai pauruṣaṃ mahat ||
na caiva yudhi śaknomi bhīṣmaṃ śastrabhṛtāṃ varam ||
viśeṣayitum atyartham uttamāstrāṇi darśayan ||
eṣā me paramā śaktir etan me paramaṃ balam ||
yatheṣṭaṃ gamyatāṃ bhadre kim anyad vā karomi te ||
bhīṣmam eva prapadyasva na te 'nyā vidyate gatiḥ ||
nirjito hy asmi bhīṣmeṇa mahāstrāṇi pramuñcatā ||
bhīṣma uvāca
evam uktvā tato rāmo viniḥśvasya mahāmanāḥ ||
tūṣṇīm āsīt tadā kanyā provāca bhṛgunandanam ||
Rāma said: "O lovely one, it is plain to all the worlds that I have done all I could, exerting my utmost strength and great manly effort. Yet in battle I am unable to decisively surpass Bhīṣma, the foremost of weapon-bearers, though I displayed my highest astras. This is my ultimate strength, this is my supreme power. Go wherever you wish, O gracious lady. What else can I do for you? Turn to Bhīṣma himself — you have no other refuge. For I have been defeated by Bhīṣma, who let loose the great astras." Bhīṣma said: Having spoken thus, the great-souled Rāma sighed heavily and fell silent. Then the maiden spoke to the descendant of Bhṛgu.
15400de2247d · published Jul 17, 2026, 6:42:04 AM UTC
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After the duel is halted, Ambā does not accept defeat as the end. Rāma acknowledges the limit of his own strength, while she turns her pain into a fierce asceticism aimed at Bhīṣma's destruction. The chapter reveals the dangerous side of resolve: a vow can elevate, but when fed by anger alone, it warps the path it follows. Gaṅgā's words are especially telling: Ambā's desire is not dismissed as empty, but she is shown the heavy form its fruit will take. Ambā's austerity becomes a power capable of carrying over into another birth, yet at the same time it makes her like a difficult, dangerous, winding river.