Shloka 5

अम्बा–राम–भीष्म संवादः

Amba–Rama–Bhishma Dialogue on Vow and Refuge

Devanagari script

'भाविनि! मैं किसी तरह ब्राह्मणोंकी आज्ञाके बिना हथियार नहीं उठाऊँगा, ऐसी मैंने प्रतिज्ञा कर रखी है' ।।

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca— bhāvini! ahaṃ kathaṃcid brāhmaṇānām ājñāṃ vinā śastrāṇi na gṛhṇīyām iti me pratijñā kṛtā. ambovāca— mama duḥkhaṃ bhagavatā vyapaneyaṃ yatas tataḥ; tac ca bhīṣma-prasūtaṃ me, taṃ jahi īśvara mā ciram.

Translation

Bhīṣma dit : «Ô noble dame, j’ai fait le vœu de ne jamais, en aucune circonstance, prendre les armes sans l’ordre des brāhmaṇa.» Amba répondit : «Vénérable, apaise ma souffrance par tout moyen dont tu disposes. Cette souffrance, Bhīṣma l’a causée ; aussi, ô Seigneur, tue-le sans tarder.»

Word by Word

• {'bhāvini': 'O virtuous/noble woman (vocative address)', 'brāhmaṇānām ājñā': 'the command/authorization of Brahmins', 'vinā': 'without', 'śastrāṇi': 'weapons, arms', 'na gṛhṇīyām': 'I would not take up (weapons)', 'pratijñā': 'vow, solemn pledge', 'mama duḥkham': 'my sorrow/suffering', 'bhagavatā': 'by the Blessed Lord / venerable one (instrumental)', 'vyapaneyam': 'to be removed, to be dispelled', 'yatas tataḥ': 'by whatever means, in whatever way possible', 'bhīṣma-prasūtam': 'produced/caused by Bhishma', 'taṃ jahi': 'slay him', 'īśvara': 'O Lord, master (vocative)', 'mā ciram': 'do not delay

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma (Bhīṣma)
• Amba (Ambā)
• Brahmins (Brāhmaṇāḥ)
• Weapons (Śastrāṇi)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The passage highlights the binding force of a vow (pratijñā) and the ethical tension it creates: Bhishma subordinates his martial action to Brahmin authorization, while Amba frames her personal injustice as demanding swift redress. It juxtaposes duty-bound restraint with the demand for retributive justice.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma declares that, due to a prior vow, he will not take up weapons without Brahmin command. Amba, suffering because of Bhishma’s earlier actions, appeals to a powerful figure addressed as ‘Bhagavan/Īśvara’ to remove her pain by killing Bhishma quickly.