Shloka 20
Ambā’s Vow of Tapas after Paraśurāma’s Assessment (अम्बाया तपोव्रतनिश्चयः)
अहमेकस्तु चारेण वचनान्नारदस्य च । ज्ञातवान् देववाक्येन अम्बायास्तपसा तथा
aham ekas tu cāreṇa vacanān nāradasya ca | jñātavān devavākyena ambāyās tapasā tathā ||
毗湿摩说道：“唯有我一人得知尸佉ṇḍī生而为女之事——凭密探所报，凭那罗陀之言，凭大自在天赐愿之神谕，亦凭安芭之苦行（tapas）。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Hidden causes—tapas, divine boons, and reliable testimony—can shape decisive outcomes in dharmic conflict. Bhīṣma implies that ethical and strategic decisions in war are not based only on what is publicly visible; they must account for deeper karmic histories and authoritative sources of knowledge.
Bhīṣma explains how he alone learned the true background of Śikhaṇḍī’s birth as a girl: from a spy’s report, from Nārada’s words, from a divine pronouncement (linked with Mahādeva’s boon), and from Ambā’s austerities—connecting Śikhaṇḍī’s role in the coming war to Ambā’s prior vow and ascetic pursuit.