Shloka 18
Ambā’s Vow of Tapas after Paraśurāma’s Assessment (अम्बाया तपोव्रतनिश्चयः)
श्रद्दधानो हि तद्वाक््यं देवस्याच्युततेजस: । छादयामास तां कन्या पुमानिति च सो5ब्रवीत्
śraddadhāno hi tad vākyaṃ devasyācyuta-tejasaḥ | chādayāmāsa tāṃ kanyāṃ pumān iti ca so 'bravīt ||
Kerana mempercayai kata-kata dewa yang sinarnya tidak pernah pudar, baginda menyembunyikan gadis itu lalu mengisytiharkan: “(Dia) seorang lelaki.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between truthfulness and protective duty: faith in a higher (divine) instruction can lead one to conceal someone vulnerable and even to speak strategically, suggesting that ethical action in the epic is often judged by intention and protection of the innocent rather than by literal truth alone.
Bhīṣma reports that a person, trusting the directive of the radiant Acyuta, hid a maiden and publicly asserted that she was a man—an act of concealment and reclassification meant to avert danger or social consequences.