Shloka 15
अम्बा-शाल्वसंवादः | Amba’s Appeal to Śālva and His Refusal
ते यतथध्वं परं शक््त्या सर्वे मोक्षाय पार्थिवा: । प्रसह् हि हराम्येष मिषतां वो नरर्षभा:
te yatatadhvaṁ paraṁ śaktyā sarve mokṣāya pārthivāḥ | prasaḥ hi harāmy eṣa miṣatāṁ vo nararṣabhāḥ ||
ビーシュマは言った。「おお王たちよ、人の中の雄牛たちよ。汝らは力の限りを尽くして彼女らを奪い返せ。見ているその眼前で、我はこの姫君たちを力ずくで連れ去るのだ。」乙女たちを自らの戦車に乗せるや、集まった諸侯に向けて彼はこの宣言を幾度も繰り返し—卑劣な忍びではなく戦場の武勇によって決着をつけよと、公然と挑みかけた。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a kshatriya ideal of public accountability in acts of power: Bhishma does not conceal the seizure but openly challenges the kings to resist, framing legitimacy through valor and open contest rather than covert wrongdoing—while still raising ethical tension about coercion and consent.
After placing the princesses on his chariot, Bhishma addresses the gathered kings and repeatedly declares that he is taking the maidens by force, urging them to use their full strength to rescue them—thereby inviting battle and making the act a public, contested deed.