Shloka 13

Amba approaches the Paraśurāma context; Hotravāhana’s counsel and Akṛtavraṇa’s report (अम्बोपाख्यानम्—रामदर्शनप्रसङ्गः)

Devanagari script

उषितास्मि तथा बाल्ये पितुर्वेश्मनि तापसा: । नाहं गमिष्ये भद्रं वस्तत्र यत्र पिता मम । तपस्तप्तुमभीप्सामि तापसै: परिरक्षिता,तापसो! मैं बाल्यावस्थामें पिताके घर रह चुकी हूँ। आपका कल्याण हो। अब मैं वहाँ नहीं जाऊँगी, जहाँ मेरे पिता होंगे। मैं आप तपस्वी जनोंद्वारा सुरक्षित होकर यहाँ तपस्या करनेकी ही इच्छा रखती हूँ

Transliteration

uṣitāsmi tathā bālye pitur veśmani tāpasāḥ | nāhaṃ gamiṣye bhadraṃ vas tatra yatra pitā mama | tapas taptum abhīpsāmi tāpasaiḥ parirakṣitā ||

Translation

Nàng nói: “Hỡi các bậc khổ hạnh, thuở ấu thơ ta đã từng sống trong nhà của phụ vương rồi. Xin chúc các ngài an lành. Ta sẽ không trở lại nơi ấy nữa—nơi phụ vương ta đang ở. Được các bậc tu khổ hạnh che chở, ta chỉ mong ở lại đây để hành trì khổ hạnh.”

Word by Word

{'uṣitā asmi''I have dwelt

I have stayed', 'tathā''indeed

in that manner', 'bālye''in childhood', 'pituḥ': 'of (my) father', 'veśmani': 'in the house

in the dwelling', 'tāpasāḥ''O ascetics

men of penance (vocative plural)', 'na aham''I will not', 'gamiṣye': 'I shall go (future)', 'bhadram': 'well-being

‘may it be well’ (benedictive sense)', 'vas''to you (plural, enclitic)', 'tatra': 'there', 'yatra': 'where', 'pitā': 'father', 'mama': 'my', 'tapas': 'austerity

penance', 'taptum''to perform

to practice (penance)', 'abhīpsāmi''I desire

I wish', 'tāpasaiḥ''by ascetics (instrumental plural)', 'parirakṣitā': 'protected

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

father (unnamed)

tāpasas (ascetics)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds a dharmic choice grounded in personal resolve: having already fulfilled life in the paternal household, the speaker refuses to return and instead chooses tapas (a disciplined ethical-spiritual practice), seeking safety and support from righteous ascetics.

What is happening in the narrative?

Addressing a group of ascetics, the speaker declares she has lived in her father’s home during childhood and now will not go back to where her father resides; she asks, in effect, to remain under the ascetics’ protection so she can continue a life of austerity.