Shloka 15
अम्बा-शाल्वसंवादः | Amba’s Appeal to Śālva and His Refusal
ते यतथध्वं परं शक््त्या सर्वे मोक्षाय पार्थिवा: । प्रसह् हि हराम्येष मिषतां वो नरर्षभा:
te yatatadhvaṁ paraṁ śaktyā sarve mokṣāya pārthivāḥ | prasaḥ hi harāmy eṣa miṣatāṁ vo nararṣabhāḥ ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „O Könige, Stiere unter den Menschen! Strengt euch alle mit eurer ganzen Kraft an, sie zu befreien. Denn vor euren Augen führe ich diese Prinzessinnen mit Gewalt fort.“ Nachdem er die Jungfrauen auf seinen Wagen gesetzt hatte, rief er dies den versammelten Herrschern immer wieder zu—offen sie herausfordernd, die Entführung anzufechten, damit die Tat durch Tapferkeit im Kampf und nicht durch heimliche List entschieden werde.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a kshatriya ideal of public accountability in acts of power: Bhishma does not conceal the seizure but openly challenges the kings to resist, framing legitimacy through valor and open contest rather than covert wrongdoing—while still raising ethical tension about coercion and consent.
After placing the princesses on his chariot, Bhishma addresses the gathered kings and repeatedly declares that he is taking the maidens by force, urging them to use their full strength to rescue them—thereby inviting battle and making the act a public, contested deed.