अम्बा-शाल्वसंवादः | Amba’s Appeal to Śālva and His Refusal
राजानश्न समाहूता: पृथिव्यां भरतर्षभ । अम्बा ज्येष्ठाभवत् तासामम्बिका त्वथ मध्यमा
rājānaḥ samāhūtāḥ pṛthivyāṃ bharatarṣabha | ambā jyeṣṭhābhavat tāsām ambikā tv atha madhyamā ||
قال بهيشما: «يا ثورَ آلِ بهاراتا، لقد دُعي ملوكُ الأرض كلِّها إلى السْوَيَمْفَرا. وكانت أمبا أكبرَ تلك الأميرات، وأمبيكا هي الوسطى.»
भीष्म उवाच
The verse highlights how public royal rites like svayaṃvara operate within dharma and political order: personal relationships are embedded in social duty, and choices made in such settings can carry far-reaching ethical consequences.
Bhishma begins recounting the Kāśī princesses’ svayaṃvara: kings from across the earth were invited, and he identifies the sisters by age—Ambā as eldest and Ambikā as the middle—preparing for the events that follow.