Shloka 20
Ambā’s Vow of Tapas after Paraśurāma’s Assessment (अम्बाया तपोव्रतनिश्चयः)
अहमेकस्तु चारेण वचनान्नारदस्य च । ज्ञातवान् देववाक्येन अम्बायास्तपसा तथा,केवल मैं गुप्तचरके दिये हुए समाचारसे, नारदजीके कथनसे, महादेवजीके वरदान- वाक्यसे तथा अम्बाकी तपस्यासे शिखण्डीके कन्या होनेका वृत्तान्त जान गया था
aham ekas tu cāreṇa vacanān nāradasya ca | jñātavān devavākyena ambāyās tapasā tathā ||
Bhīṣma dit : « Moi seul appris le récit selon lequel Śikhaṇḍī naquit fille — par des rapports secrets d’espionnage, par l’affirmation de Nārada, par la parole du don divin (de Mahādeva), et aussi par les austérités d’Ambā. »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Hidden causes—tapas, divine boons, and reliable testimony—can shape decisive outcomes in dharmic conflict. Bhīṣma implies that ethical and strategic decisions in war are not based only on what is publicly visible; they must account for deeper karmic histories and authoritative sources of knowledge.
Bhīṣma explains how he alone learned the true background of Śikhaṇḍī’s birth as a girl: from a spy’s report, from Nārada’s words, from a divine pronouncement (linked with Mahādeva’s boon), and from Ambā’s austerities—connecting Śikhaṇḍī’s role in the coming war to Ambā’s prior vow and ascetic pursuit.