Shloka 23

अम्बा–राम–भीष्म संवादः

Amba–Rama–Bhishma Dialogue on Vow and Refuge

Devanagari script

महाराज भरतनन्दन! फिर उन वेदवादी मुनियोंको साथ ले परशुरामजी राजकन्या अम्बाके साथ कुरक्षेत्रमें आये ।।

Transliteration

nyaviśanta tataḥ sarve parigṛhya sarasvatīm | tāpasās te mahātmāno bhṛguśreṣṭha-puraskṛtāḥ ||

Translation

Puis tous ces ascètes à l’âme grande, ayant pris refuge sur la rive de la Sarasvatī, s’y établirent pour la nuit, plaçant à leur tête le plus éminent des Bhṛgu : Paraśurāma. Dans l’économie du récit, c’est une halte délibérée, tournée vers le dharma : le groupe arrive à Kurukṣetra non dans la hâte ni l’hostilité, mais sous la conduite de sages vénérés, choisissant la berge du fleuve sacré comme lieu convenable pour le conseil et la retenue avant l’acte décisif touchant la cause d’Ambā.

Word by Word

• न्यविशन्त: they dwelt / they stayed
• Type: Verb
• Root: विश् (प्रवेशे) + नि (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), परस्मैपद, 3, plural

• ततः: then, thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• परिगृह्य: having taken/accepted; having resorted to
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (ग्रहणे) + परि (उपसर्ग)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययभाव, absolutive)

• सरस्वतीम्: Sarasvatī (river)
• सरस्वतीम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती
• Form: feminine, accusative, singular

• तापसाः: ascetics
• तापसाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तापस
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• ते: those
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• महात्मानः: great-souled ones
• महात्मानः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महात्मन्
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• भृगुश्रेष्ठपुरस्कृताः: having the best of the Bhṛgus (Paraśurāma) in front / led by him
• भृगुश्रेष्ठपुरस्कृताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भृगुश्रेष्ठ-पुरस्कृत
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural, क्त (past passive participle) from कृ (करणे) with पुरस्-

Speaker

राम उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Paraśurāma (Bhṛguśreṣṭha)
• tāpasas (ascetic sages)
• Sarasvatī River
• Kurukṣetra (contextual, from the given passage)
• Ambā (contextual, from the given passage)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores dharmic conduct through restraint and reverence: even amid a charged dispute, the party proceeds under the leadership of a revered sage and chooses a sacred, peaceful setting (the Sarasvatī’s bank) for lodging and deliberation, implying that right action should be grounded in sanctity, counsel, and self-control rather than impulsive force.

What is happening in the narrative?

After arriving in the Kurukṣetra region with Ambā and accompanying Veda-versed ascetics, Paraśurāma leads the group to the Sarasvatī. There, the sages encamp for the night on the riverbank, with Paraśurāma placed at the forefront as their guide.