Shloka 2
अम्बा–राम–भीष्म संवादः
Amba–Rama–Bhishma Dialogue on Vow and Refuge
काश्ये न काम गृह्नामि शस्त्र वै वरवर्णिनि । ऋते ब्रह्मविदां हेतो: किमनयत् करवाणि ते
kāśye na kāma gṛhṇāmi śastraṃ vai varavarṇini | ṛte brahmavidāṃ hetoḥ kim anyat karavāṇi te ||
«أيتها الحسناء ذات السمت النبيل، يا أميرة كاشي، إنني لا أتناول السلاح لمجرد هوى النفس. ولا أُعمله إلا لسبب يتصل بحماية أو بمقصد العارفين بالبرهمن—حكماء الفيدا. فإذ أحفظ نذري، فأي خدمة أخرى أستطيع أن أؤديها لك؟»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes ethical restraint: weapons should not be taken up from personal desire or impulse. One must act within the bounds of one’s vow and dharma, using force only for a legitimate, principled cause.
In the Ambā–Bhīṣma–Paraśurāma episode, Ambā urges Paraśurāma to kill Bhīṣma. Paraśurāma replies that he cannot take up arms merely at will; he is bound by his vow and will fight only when a proper cause—especially connected with the duty toward learned Brahmins—arises, and he asks what else he can do for her while keeping his pledge.