Shloka 3
अम्बाया निर्वेदः तपोव्रताभ्यर्थना च
Ambā’s Despair and Petition for Ascetic Vows
ततो मूर्थन्युपाप्राय पर्यश्रुनयना नृप । आह सत्यवती ह्ृष्टा दिष्ट्या पुत्र जितं त्वया,नरेश्वर! यह सुनकर माता सत्यवतीके नेत्रोंमें हर्षके आँसू छलक आये। उन्होंने मेरा मस्तक सूँघकर प्रसन्नतापूर्वक कहा--“बेटा! बड़े सौभाग्यकी बात है कि तुम विजयी हुए"
tato mūrdhany upāprāya paryaśrunayanā nṛpa | āha satyavatī hṛṣṭā diṣṭyā putra jitaṃ tvayā ||
Then, O king, Satyavatī drew near, her eyes brimming with tears. In maternal affection she touched and smelled my head; delighted, she said, “My son, by good fortune you have won—well done, O lord of men.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of familial bonds and blessings: a mother-figure’s affectionate approval frames “victory” not merely as conquest but as an outcome to be received with humility, gratitude, and responsibility befitting a ruler.
Bhīṣma recounts that Satyavatī approaches him with tearful eyes, expresses maternal affection by touching/smelling his head, and joyfully congratulates him, saying that by good fortune he has achieved victory.