Shloka 2
अम्बाया निर्वेदः तपोव्रताभ्यर्थना च
Ambā’s Despair and Petition for Ascetic Vows
इमा: काशिपते: कन्या मया निर्जित्य पार्थिवान् विचित्रवीर्यस्य कृते वीर्यशुल्का हृता इति,“माँ! ये काशिराजकी कन्याएँ हैं। पराक्रम ही इनका शुल्क था। इसलिये मैं समस्त राजाओंको जीतकर भाई विचित्रवीर्यके लिये इन्हें हर लाया हूँ!
imāḥ kāśipateḥ kanyā mayā nirjitya pārthivān vicitravīryasya kṛte vīryaśulkā hṛtā iti
Bhīṣma berkata: “Ibu, inilah puteri-puteri raja Kāśī. Mas kahwin mereka ialah keberanian; maka setelah aku menewaskan para raja yang berhimpun, aku membawa mereka pulang untuk adikku, Vicitravīrya.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how dharma is often argued through social role (kṣatriya duty) and custom: Bhīṣma justifies his act as a valor-based acquisition for his brother’s marriage, showing the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethical complexity where duty, power, and personal rights can conflict.
Bhīṣma identifies the women as the daughters of the king of Kāśī and declares that he defeated rival kings and brought the princesses for Vicitravīrya, presenting the event as a martial contest in which valor served as the ‘bride-price’.