Shloka 18
Amba approaches the Paraśurāma context; Hotravāhana’s counsel and Akṛtavraṇa’s report (अम्बोपाख्यानम्—रामदर्शनप्रसङ्गः)
अम्बायास्तां कथां श्रुत्वा काशिराज्ञश्न भारत | राजर्षि: स महातेजा बभूवोद्धिग्नमानस:,भारत! अम्बा और काशिराजकी यह चर्चा सुनकर महातेजस्वी राजर्षि होत्रवाहनका चित्त उद्विग्न हो उठा
ambāyās tāṁ kathāṁ śrutvā kāśirājñaś ca bhārata | rājarṣiḥ sa mahātejā babhūvoddhigna-mānasaḥ ||
ഹേ ഭാരതാ! അംബയെയും കാശിരാജനെയും സംബന്ധിച്ച ആ വൃത്താന്തം കേട്ടപ്പോൾ മഹാതേജസ്വിയായ രാജർഷി ഹോത്രവാഹനന്റെ മനസ് അത്യന്തം വ്യാകുലമായി.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how hearing a morally and socially charged dispute—especially involving a woman’s fate and royal obligations—can unsettle even a powerful king-sage, underscoring the ethical weight of decisions tied to honor, marriage, and kṣatriya dharma.
Bhīṣma narrates that Hotravāhana, upon hearing the account concerning Ambā and the king of Kāśī, becomes mentally disturbed—signaling the seriousness of the situation and foreshadowing further counsel or action in response.