Shloka 86
अम्बा–राम–भीष्म संवादः
Amba–Rama–Bhishma Dialogue on Vow and Refuge
ततो मामब्रवीद् देवी सर्वभूतहितैषिणी । माता स्वरूपिणी राजन् किमिदं ते चिकीर्षितम्
tato mām abravīd devī sarvabhūtahitaiṣiṇī | mātā svarūpiṇī rājan kim idaṁ te cikīrṣitam ||
そのとき、あらゆる生きとし生けるものの安寧を願う女神—我が母ガンガー—が真の姿で現れ、私に言った。「王よ、わが子よ、おまえは何をしようとしているのか。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Before acting—especially in moments charged with emotion or crisis—one should examine one’s intention (cikīrṣitam). The verse frames ethical action through the lens of universal welfare (sarvabhūtahita), with a compassionate authority figure urging reflection and restraint.
Bhīṣma recounts that his mother, the goddess Gaṅgā, manifests before him and questions his intended course of action. Her appearance signals a pivotal moment where divine-maternal counsel intervenes to redirect or scrutinize Bhīṣma’s resolve.