Shloka 173
अम्बा-शाल्वसंवादः | Amba’s Appeal to Śālva and His Refusal
इति श्रीमहा भारते उद्योगपर्वणि अम्बोपाख्यानपर्वणि कन्याहरणे त्रिसप्तत्यधिकशततमो< ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate udyogaparvaṇi ambopākhyānaparvaṇi kanyāharaṇe trisaptatyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ | isa prakāra śrīmahābhārata udyogaparvake antargata ambopākhyānaparvameṁ kanyāharaṇaviṣayaka eka sau tihattaravāṁ adhyāya pūrā huā |
So endet im heiligen Mahābhārata, innerhalb des Udyoga Parva, in dem Abschnitt namens Ambā-upākhyāna, das hundertdreiundsiebzigste Kapitel—über die Entführung von Jungfrauen. Auf diese Weise schließt die Erzählung um Ambā dieses Kapitel und rahmt die ethische Spannung zwischen königlicher Macht, persönlicher Selbstbestimmung und den weitreichenden Folgen von Handlungen, die im Namen von Pflicht und Ansehen begangen werden.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a closing colophon, the verse itself teaches by framing: actions done under royal authority—especially involving marriage and abduction—carry moral weight and can generate enduring consequences. The Ambā narrative is traditionally read as highlighting tensions between personal choice, social duty, and the karmic aftermath of coercion.
This is not a spoken narrative verse but a chapter-ending marker. It announces that, within Udyoga Parva’s Ambā episode, the chapter dealing with kanyāharaṇa (abduction of maidens) has concluded—signaling the end of that chapter’s portion of the Ambā-related account.