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 ||
„O schöne Frau von edler Erscheinung, Prinzessin von Kāśī: Nicht aus bloßem persönlichen Verlangen ergreife ich die Waffen. Nur wenn ein Grund vorliegt, der mit dem Schutz oder dem Anliegen der Brahman-Kenner—der vedakundigen Weisen—verbunden ist, führe ich das Schwert. Darum: Während ich mein Gelübde wahre, welchen anderen Dienst kann ich dir erweisen?“
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.