Shloka 19
अम्बोपाख्याने तापसानां विचारः तथा होत्रवाहनस्य उपदेशः
Ambā among ascetics; Hotravāhana directs her to Paraśurāma
तामेवं भाषमाणां तु शाल्वः काशिपते: सुताम् । अत्यजद् भरतश्रेष्ठ जीर्णा त्वचमिवोरग:,भरतश्रेष्ठ) इस प्रकार अनुनय-विनय करती हुई काशिराजकी उस कन्याको शाल्वने उसी प्रकार त्याग दिया, जैसे सर्प पुरानी केंचुलको छोड़ देता है
tām evaṁ bhāṣamāṇāṁ tu śālvaḥ kāśipateḥ sutām | atyajad bharataśreṣṭha jīrṇāṁ tvacam ivoragaḥ ||
Bhīṣma sprach: Als die Tochter des Königs von Kāśī so redete und demütig flehte, verstieß Śālva sie, o Bester der Bhāratas, wie eine Schlange ihre abgetragene Haut abstreift und zurücklässt.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns treating a vulnerable person as expendable. By comparing Śālva’s rejection to a snake discarding its old skin, it highlights an ethical lapse—abandoning someone who seeks protection and speaks with humility—contrary to ideals of dharma such as compassion, responsibility, and honoring relational obligations.
Bhīṣma narrates that the daughter of the king of Kāśī is speaking in a conciliatory, pleading manner. Despite her entreaties, Śālva rejects and abandons her, in the same way a serpent leaves behind its worn-out skin.