Shloka 63
अम्बा–राम–भीष्म संवादः
Amba–Rama–Bhishma Dialogue on Vow and Refuge
न तदा जातवान् भीष्म: क्षत्रियो वापि मद्विध: । पश्चाज्जातानि तेजांसि तृणेषु ज्वलितं त्वया
na tadā jātavān bhīṣmaḥ kṣatriyo vāpi madvidhaḥ | paścāj jātāni tejāṃsi tṛṇeṣu jvalitaṃ tvayā ||
Rāma said: “In those days, neither Bhīṣma nor any kṣatriya like me had yet been born. The truly radiant warriors were born only later. You have displayed your ‘blaze’ only among dry grass—showing your prowess against men as weak as straw.”
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
Martial excellence is ethically meaningful only when tested against worthy opponents; displaying power against the weak is likened to fire flaring in dry grass—showy but not truly glorious.
Bhārgava Rāma (Paraśurāma) speaks in a confrontational exchange, belittling Bhīṣma’s reputation by claiming that Bhīṣma’s ‘brilliance’ has been shown only against inferior, straw-like warriors, not against peers of the highest calibre.