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 ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai para raja, banteng di antara manusia! Kamu semua hendaklah berusaha dengan segenap daya untuk menyelamatkan mereka. Kerana di hadapan mata kamu, aku membawa puteri-puteri ini pergi dengan paksa.” Setelah menaikkan para gadis itu ke atas keretanya, dia mengisytiharkan hal itu berulang kali kepada para pemerintah yang berhimpun—secara terbuka mengundang mereka mencabar penculikan itu, agar perkara diputuskan oleh keberanian di medan perang, bukan oleh helah secara sembunyi.
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.