Shloka 16

अम्बा-शाल्वसंवादः | Amba’s Appeal to Śālva and His Refusal

Devanagari script

ततस्ते पृथिवीपाला: समुत्पेतुरुदायुधा: । योगो योग इति क्रुद्धा: सारथीनभ्यचोदयन्‌,फिर तो वे महीपाल कुपित हो हाथमें हथियार लिये टूट पड़े और अपने सारथियोंको 'रथ तैयार करो, रथ तैयार करो” इस प्रकार आदेश देने लगे

Transliteration

tataste pṛthivīpālāḥ samutpetur udāyudhāḥ | yogo yoga iti kruddhāḥ sārathīn abhyacodayan ||

Translation

Then those kings, enraged, sprang up with weapons in hand. Crying, “Harness! Harness!”, they urgently drove their charioteers to make the chariots ready—an outward surge of wrath that signals how quickly royal pride can tip into warlike resolve.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

तेthey

पृथिवीपालाःkings, rulers of the earth

समुत्पेतुःsprang up / rushed forth

उदायुधाःwith weapons raised / bearing uplifted weapons

योगःyoking; harnessing (of the chariot)

योगःyoking; harnessing

इतिthus (quotative)

क्रुद्धाःangry

सारथीन्charioteers

अभ्यचोदयन्urged on / commanded

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

pṛthivīpālāḥ (kings)

sārathī (charioteers)

āyudha (weapons)

ratha (chariot, implied by sārathī/yoga)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how anger and wounded honor can rapidly propel rulers toward violence; ethically, it warns that unchecked krodha (wrath) turns deliberation into impulsive militarization, making war feel inevitable.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma describes the assembled kings reacting in fury: they rise up armed and command their charioteers—repeating “yoga, yoga” (“harness!”)—to ready the chariots, indicating an immediate move toward armed action.