Shloka 17
Ambā’s Vow of Tapas after Paraśurāma’s Assessment (अम्बाया तपोव्रतनिश्चयः)
चकार सर्वयत्नेन ब्रुवाणा पुत्र इत्युत । नचतां वेद नगरे कश्रनिदन्यत्र पार्षतात्
cakāra sarvayatnena bruvāṇā putra ity uta | na ca tāṁ veda nagare kaścid anyatra pārṣatāt, narendra |
Bhīṣma berkata: Dengan segala daya upaya, permaisuri memastikan rahsia itu terus terselindung, dan memanggil anak itu hanya sebagai “anak lelaki”. Di seluruh kota, tiada seorang pun mengetahui bahawa dia seorang perempuan—tiada selain Pārṣata (Raja Drupada), wahai tuan manusia.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how royal households may employ concealment and social performance to secure political stability and succession. Ethically, it raises tension between pragmatic statecraft and the dharmic ideal of truthfulness, showing how perceived necessity can drive morally complex choices.
Drupada’s queen carefully keeps hidden that the child is a girl, addressing her as a son and ensuring the secret remains unknown to the city. Only Drupada (Pārṣata) knows the truth, setting up the later significance of this child in the unfolding conflict.