Shloka 16
आदि पर्व, अध्याय 96 — काश्यकन्याहरणं, शाल्वसमागमः, अम्बावचनं च
Kāśī princesses taken; encounter with Śālva; Ambā’s declaration
सार्वभौम: खलु जित्वा जहार कैकेयीं सुनन्दां नाम | तामुपयेमे । तस्यामस्य जज्ञे जयत्सेनो नाम,सार्वभौमने युद्धमें जीतकर केकयकुमारी सुनन्दाका अपहरण किया और उसीको अपनी पत्नी बनाया। उससे उनको जयत्सेन नामक पुत्र प्राप्त हुआ
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: Sārvabhaumaḥ khalu jitvā jahāra Kaikeyīṃ Sunandāṃ nāma; tām upayeme. Tasyām asya jajñe Jayatseno nāma.
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Nachdem Sārvabhauma im Kampf gesiegt hatte, entführte er eine Prinzessin aus Kekaya namens Sunandā und nahm sie zur Gemahlin. Von ihr wurde ihm ein Sohn geboren, Jayatsena genannt.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily genealogical, but it implicitly highlights how royal power and warfare can shape family lines. It also invites ethical reflection: conquest-based abduction and subsequent marriage may be presented as a political reality of kṣatriya life, yet it creates tension with ideals of consent and dharma, a recurring moral complexity in the Mahābhārata.
Vaiśampāyana reports that King Sārvabhauma, after winning a conflict, carried off a Kekaya princess named Sunandā, married her, and had a son by her named Jayatsena—continuing the dynastic succession.