अम्बा-शाल्वसंवादः | Amba’s Appeal to Śālva and His Refusal
राजानश्न समाहूता: पृथिव्यां भरतर्षभ । अम्बा ज्येष्ठाभवत् तासामम्बिका त्वथ मध्यमा
rājānaḥ samāhūtāḥ pṛthivyāṃ bharatarṣabha | ambā jyeṣṭhābhavat tāsām ambikā tv atha madhyamā ||
毗湿摩说道:“噢,婆罗多族中的雄牛啊,为了这场自择婚(svayaṃvara),大地四方的诸王都被邀请而来。在那几位公主之中,安婆(Ambā)为长,安毗迦(Ambikā)居中。”
भीष्म उवाच
The verse highlights how public royal rites like svayaṃvara operate within dharma and political order: personal relationships are embedded in social duty, and choices made in such settings can carry far-reaching ethical consequences.
Bhishma begins recounting the Kāśī princesses’ svayaṃvara: kings from across the earth were invited, and he identifies the sisters by age—Ambā as eldest and Ambikā as the middle—preparing for the events that follow.