Shloka 14
अम्बाया रामजामदग्न्यशरणगमनम्
Ambā Seeks Refuge with Rāma Jāmadagnya
भीष्म वा शाल्वराजं वा यं वा दोषेण गच्छसि । प्रशाधि त॑ं महाबाहो यत्कृते5हं सुदुःखिता,अम्बा बोली--ब्रह्मन! मेरे मनमें भी सदा यह इच्छा बनी रहती है कि मैं युद्धमें भीष्मका वध करा दूँ। महाबाहो! आप भीष्मको या शाल्वराजको जिसे भी दोषी समझते हों, उसीको दण्ड दीजिये, जिसके कारण मैं अत्यन्त दुःखमें पड़ गयी हूँ
bhīṣmaṃ vā śālvarājaṃ vā yaṃ vā doṣeṇa gacchasi | praśādhi taṃ mahābāho yatkṛte 'haṃ suduḥkhitā ||
Whether it is Bhīṣma or the king of Śālva—whomever you judge to be at fault—punish him, O mighty-armed one, for it is because of him that I have fallen into extreme misery.
अकृतव्रण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharma as accountability: suffering caused by another’s culpable action is presented as a claim requiring adjudication and proportionate punishment. It also highlights the ethical tension between personal grievance and the warrior’s role as an agent of justice.
Amba urges the addressed warrior to identify the true wrongdoer—Bhīṣma or the Śālva king—and to punish that person. Her appeal frames her life’s ruin as the result of someone’s fault and demands decisive redress.