Sanjaya, continuing to convey the events of the court to Dhritarashtra, said that the grandsire, with the intent of strengthening your son’s trust, spoke with candor and purity of purpose; though such a condition lay beneath his stature, yet, as the arts of war often demand inspiration and persuasion, he chose the path of truthful narration. Bhishma, summoning the ancient tale from the deep chambers of memory, began thus: King Shantanu wedded Satyavati, and to them were born Chitrangada and Vichitravirya; while the princes were still young, the king ascended to the heavens, and Bhishma, after performing his father’s last rites, placed Chitrangada upon the throne.
Chitrangada, proud and impetuous, misused his power and strength, provoking quarrels and asserting his might over many; in this spirit he challenged the Gandharva prince of the same name and confronted him. The two Chitrangadas met in battle, their armies clashing fiercely upon the field of Kurukshetra, and the Gandharva, skilled in magic and subtle warfare, subdued the king’s forces; in the duel that followed, the Gandharva prince slew King Chitrangada, and the routed army fled to report the calamity to the council. Then Bhishma anointed the younger prince, Vichitravirya, as king of Hastinapura, and when he attained marriageable age, Bhishma resolved to secure him a bride.
At that time the king of Kashi proclaimed a svayamvara for his three daughters, and the son of the river Ganga went to the court and declared, “I shall take these maidens for the marriage of my brother, the king of Hastinapura; if any oppose me, I welcome their challenge,” and having defeated the princes and lords who resisted him, he carried away all three maidens, for among the ancient codes of royalty, conquest in marriage was held the highest. As Bhishma journeyed toward Hastinapura, King Salva barred his path with his forces; Bhishma slew the charioteer and routed the army, yet spared the king’s life, and Salva, defeated and humiliated, returned to his realm, burning with unspoken grief.
The maidens Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika reached Hastinapura, and Amba, weeping, said to Bhishma that she could not wed anyone, for in heart and thought she was already united to Salva; Bhishma sent her to Salva with honor and solemn courtesy, and with Satyavati’s consent, he gave Ambika and Ambalika in marriage to King Vichitravirya. Amba reached Salva with tears in her eyes, but he, devoid of compassion, declared that since she had been taken by Bhishma, she was lost to him, and that it was unholy to marry a maiden who had been carried away by royal conquest, declaring that she was in essence Bhishma’s wife and should return to him; thus he rejected her cruelly, ignoring her inner devotion and her silent bond to him.
She pleaded, “O king of virtue, Bhishma seized us all for his brother’s marriage, and when I told him of my love for you, he sent me back to you with honor and respect; what fault lies in this, and what is unholy here? My father knew nothing of my love for you, nor did you inform him, and so he proclaimed the svayamvara; Bhishma gave my sisters in marriage and sent me to you with courage and righteousness,” but Salva would not accept her and rejected all her entreaties. Overwhelmed with sorrow, she stood motionless, and Salva, hard of heart, drove her from the gates of his palace; burdened with grief, she reflected within herself that since Salva had rejected her, she could marry no one, for her mind and heart were wholly bound to him, and that there was no purpose in returning to Bhishma, whom she deemed the root of her ruin, and that the only path left was to seek vengeance.
She reasoned that it was impossible to conquer the son of Ganga by force, and that only austerity could grant her the power to overcome him; thus she went to a tranquil forest and spoke to certain sages, who listened patiently and said that sages could not undo the errors of kings. She asked for guidance in performing penance, and they replied that she was too delicate for severe austerities and that the righteous path for her was to return to her parents; she answered that she wished to perform penance in that forest without informing anyone, for she could not face her kin after such humiliation.
While she spoke, a great sage named Hotravahana arrived at the hermitage, and seeing Amba, asked who the maiden was and the cause of her sorrow; the sages replied that she was the daughter of the king of Kashi, who loved Salva and had been rejected by him because she had been taken by Bhishma to Hastinapura and then returned upon the revelation of her earlier love, and that she had come burdened with grief to perform penance. Hotravahana said that she was his daughter’s daughter, made her sit near him, and grieved at her plight; after pondering deeply how to relieve his granddaughter’s distress, he said, “Why should you perform penance? There is no fault in you. I shall save you. There is a way. Go and see the warrior sage of the lineage of Bhrigu, Parashurama; he will grant you auspicious boons and protect you from all danger.”
Amba asked the royal sage where she could find Parashurama and how he would show her kindness, and Hotravahana replied that he dwelt upon Mahendra mountain in deep austerity and that he would surely show her compassion. At that very time, Akrithavarna, the famed disciple of Parashurama, arrived at the hermitage; the sages honored him with the rites of hospitality, and Hotravahana asked where Bhargava Rama was, to which the sage replied that Parashurama often spoke of Hotravahana as his dear friend and that he would come there the next day with his retinue. This news filled all with joy, and they eagerly awaited the great sage, who arrived on the following day and was worshipped with reverence; thereafter Hotravahana approached him with folded hands and received his gracious regard.
After affectionate inquiries into his welfare, Parashurama saw the daughter of the king of Kashi and asked about her, and Hotravahana introduced her, saying, “She is my granddaughter, the daughter of my daughter; listen to her tale of sorrow.” Amba, in tears, laid her head upon the sage’s feet, and he, with gentle humanity, said, “Child, do not grieve. I am as Hotravahana is to you. I perceive two causes of your humiliation: do you wish me to punish Salva or to chastise Bhishma? Tell me what pleases you more.” Amba replied, “O great sage, Salva will not accept me as his wife, and punishing him serves no purpose; but the forceful act of Bhishma, who dragged me to Hastinapura and destroyed my prospects, deserves correction, and it is against this that I burn with anger; I came to perform penance to gain the power to slay him.”
Bhargava then said, “The son of Ganga will obey my command, and if he defies me, I shall strike him down with my arrows; do not torment yourself with austerities.” Thereupon, Parashurama, accompanied by a company of sages and by Amba, went to Hastinapura and stationed himself upon the banks of the river Saraswati, sending word to Bhishma. Bhishma continued, as waves of memory stirred within him, “I went to him accompanied by Vedic scholars and brahmins, bearing the offerings of worship, and I honored the great sage with humility, devotion, and reverence, which he accepted graciously; then he showed me the maiden and said, ‘Why did you bring this girl by force, and how can it be right to abandon her? She has returned; give her in marriage to your brother.’ I listened attentively and replied, ‘O great soul, she herself told me that she loved Salva and requested me to send her to him, and honoring her request, I sent her; now how can I give her to my brother in marriage?’”
At this, Bhargava was inflamed with anger and declared that he would destroy my lineage if I disobeyed him; I exercised the utmost patience and pleaded, but his fury blazed ever higher, and he persisted. I said, “You are my revered teacher and my divine guide; you have given me complete mastery of archery and imparted to me every weapon and every science; how can you be angry with me?” But Parashurama, in fiery mood, replied, “You know I am your guru, yet you have disregarded my command; cease your humble words and subtle entreaties; give her in marriage to your brother and quench the fire of my wrath, for nothing else will appease it.” Then I asked, “Why do you insist upon an unrighteous act? Is there any morality in giving a maiden, who is beloved of another, to a different man in marriage? Is this not contrary to dharma? Rather than commit such unrighteousness, let me accept whatever punishment you decree; for the ancient elders declare that whoever, driven by pride, insists upon action without discrimination between right and wrong deserves chastisement, whether he be guru or kin.”
At my words, Parashurama flared like a consuming fire, prepared himself for battle, and with indomitable spirit summoned me, saying, “Fight me.” I replied with humility, “It is beneath dignity to contend in anger with brahmins, and you are my guru; exert all your might, not because I fear your power or skill in war, for in earlier times, it is said, you unleashed your wrath upon the kshatriya race when the son of Ganga had not yet been born, and thus you were free to roam unchecked; but now Bhishma stands before you, and your fury in the three worlds shall not prevail; if you trust in the potency of the weapons and sciences you yourself taught me, I shall come alone to fight you, without my army.” Having saluted Parashurama, I returned and informed my mother Satyavati of all that had passed, and she blessed me and granted permission; then, with the auspicious offerings and Vedic chants of brahmins, I mounted my chariot, fully armed, and set forth toward Kurukshetra.
As I journeyed, a divine celestial appeared and declared herself to be Ganga, who had given birth to me; she asked why I was going to battle and against whom, and when I explained, she grew anxious and hastened to Parashurama, asking whether it was right to be angry with her innocent and righteous son, who was also his disciple. Unable to persuade Bhargava, she returned to me, found my resolve unshaken, and departed after blessing me. I had determined that the only path before me was to confront Parashurama, either to prevail and vindicate the righteous course, or to fall upon the field in faithful adherence to the moral law; thus, the ground was set for a conflict destined to teach lessons never learned before. Sanjaya, having thus narrated, praised the efforts of Bhishma in dispelling the doubts from the king’s mind.
