Shloka 24

Devanagari script

गच्छ गच्छेति तां शाल्व: पुन: पुनरभाषत । बिभेमि भीष्मात्‌ सुश्रोणि त्वं च भीष्मपरिग्रह:,शाल्वने बारंबार उससे कहा--'सुश्रोणि! तुम जाओ, चली जाओ, मैं भीष्मसे डरता हूँ। तुम भीष्मके द्वारा ग्रहण की हुई हो”

Transliteration

gaccha gaccheti tāṃ śālvaḥ punaḥ punar abhāṣata | bibhemi bhīṣmāt suśroṇi tvaṃ ca bhīṣma-parigrahā ||

Translation

Bhishma said: Shalva repeatedly told her, “Go, go, O fair-hipped one. I fear Bhishma; and you too are one whom Bhishma has already claimed.”

Word by Word

गच्छgo

इतिthus

ताम्her

शाल्वःŚālva

पुनःagain

अभाषतsaid/spoke

बिभेमिI fear

भीष्मात्from Bhīṣma / of Bhīṣma (as the one feared)

सुश्रोणिO fair-hipped one

त्वम्you

चand

भीष्मपरिग्रहःone taken/accepted by Bhīṣma (Bhīṣma’s possession/accepted woman)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Shalva

Suśroṇī (epithet for the woman addressed, i.e., Amba in context)

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 underscores how social-ethical constraints—especially prior claims, vows, and the authority of powerful figures—shape personal choices. Shalva’s refusal is framed not as a free romantic decision but as submission to fear, reputation, and the perceived binding nature of Bhishma’s prior act.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma reports Shalva’s words to the woman: Shalva repeatedly tells her to leave, stating he fears Bhishma and that she is already ‘taken’ by Bhishma’s prior claim. This marks Shalva’s rejection and becomes a turning point leading to her grievance and the ensuing chain of events.