अम्बा–राम–भीष्म संवादः
Amba–Rama–Bhishma Dialogue on Vow and Refuge
काश्ये न काम गृह्नामि शस्त्र वै वरवर्णिनि । ऋते ब्रह्मविदां हेतो: किमनयत् करवाणि ते
kāśye na kāma gṛhṇāmi śastraṃ vai varavarṇini | ṛte brahmavidāṃ hetoḥ kim anyat karavāṇi te ||
「気高き肌の麗しき姫君、カーシーの王女よ。私は私欲のままに武器を取ることはない。梵(ブラフマン)を知る者――ヴェーダに通じた賢者たち――の護持、あるいはその目的に関わる理由がある時を除き、決して兵刃を振るわぬ。ゆえに、我が誓いを守りつつ、そなたにいかなる別の奉仕ができようか。」
भीष्म उवाच
The verse emphasizes ethical restraint: weapons should not be taken up from personal desire or impulse. One must act within the bounds of one’s vow and dharma, using force only for a legitimate, principled cause.
In the Ambā–Bhīṣma–Paraśurāma episode, Ambā urges Paraśurāma to kill Bhīṣma. Paraśurāma replies that he cannot take up arms merely at will; he is bound by his vow and will fight only when a proper cause—especially connected with the duty toward learned Brahmins—arises, and he asks what else he can do for her while keeping his pledge.