Shloka 40
अम्बा–राम–भीष्म संवादः
Amba–Rama–Bhishma Dialogue on Vow and Refuge
ततो मामब्रवीद् राम: क्रोधसंरक्तलोचन: । जानीषे मां गुरुं भीष्म गृह्नलासीमां न चैव ह
tato mām abravīd rāmaḥ krodha-saṃrakta-locanaḥ | jānīṣe māṃ guruṃ bhīṣma gṛhṇalāsīmāṃ na caiva ha ||
Da sprach Rāma (Paraśurāma), die Augen vor Zorn gerötet, zu mir: „Bhīṣma, du erkennst mich als deinen Lehrer an; doch du nimmst diese Prinzessin von Kāśī nicht um meinetwillen an.“
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between reverence for one’s guru and adherence to one’s own vow and dharma. Paraśurāma frames obedience as a test of discipleship, while the larger episode questions whether authority can compel actions that violate personal commitments and the agency of others.
Paraśurāma, angered, confronts Bhīṣma and demands that he accept the Kāśī princess (Amba) for Paraśurāma’s sake. This demand becomes a catalyst for the famous Bhīṣma–Paraśurāma conflict, rooted in Amba’s rejected marriage and Bhīṣma’s vow of celibacy.