Shloka 4
अम्बायाः तपोदीक्षा–रुद्रवर–आत्मदाहः
Amba’s Ascetic Vow, Rudra’s Boon, and Self-Immolation
दुपद उवाच कन्या ममेयं सम्प्राप्ता यौवनं शोकवर्धिनी । मया प्रच्छादिता चेयं वचनाच्छूलपाणिन:,द्रपद बोले--देवि! मेरी यह कन्या युवावस्थाको प्राप्त होकर मेरा शोक बढ़ा रही है। मैंने भगवान् शंकरके कथनपर विश्वास करके अबतक इसके कन्याभावको छिपा रखा था
dupada uvāca kanyā mamaiyaṃ samprāptā yauvanaṃ śokavardhinī | mayā pracchāditā ceyaṃ vacanāc chūlapāṇinaḥ ||
Dupada berkata: “Wahai permaisuri, anak perempuanku ini kini telah mencapai usia muda, dan hal itu hanya menambah dukacitaku. Dengan mempercayai kata-kata Śūlapāṇi (Śiva), aku telah menyembunyikan keadaan kewanitaannya hingga sekarang.”
दुपद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between personal sorrow and adherence to divine or authoritative counsel: Dupada frames his concealment of his daughter’s status as obedience to Śiva’s instruction, suggesting that duty and trust in higher guidance can compel difficult, emotionally costly choices.
King Dupada speaks about his daughter having come of age, which intensifies his distress. He explains that he has kept her maidenhood concealed up to this point because he relied on the words of Śiva (the trident-bearer).