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Princess in the Mahabharata Fictional character Amba Mahabharata character Amba Information Gender Female Family Parents Kashya (Father) Kausalya (Mother) Sisters Ambika Ambalika Brother Senabindu Significant other Salva Home Kashi Amba ( Sanskrit : अम्बा , romanized : Ambā ) is a character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata .

She is the eldest and most beautiful daughter of Kashya, the King of Kashi , and the sister of Ambika and Ambalika .

Amba, along with her sisters, were abducted by Bhishma during their svayamvara ceremony, as brides to marry Vichitravirya , the King of Hastinapura .

Before the wedding ceremony, the princess approaches Bhishma, and informs him of her love for King Salva , upon which she is allowed to go to the latter and urge him to accept her as his wife.

To her dismay, Salva rejects her, regarding her to have been customarily accepted by Bhishma as his wife.

Despite her efforts, as well as those of Parashurama , Bhishma refuses to marry her.

Amba holds Bhishma responsible for her misfortune, undertaking a penance, and is granted a boon by Shiva .

She is reborn as Shikhandi , the child of King Drupada , and the sibling of the epic's female protagonist, Draupadi .

Etymology [ edit ] Amba is a commonly used word in Sanskrit meaning mother, also with Vedic linkage as the mother of the Vedas .

Legend [ edit ] Mahabharata Partial Family Tree Svayamvara [ edit ] The Adi Parva of the Mahabharata narrates the events of Amba's svayamvara at the Kingdom of Kashi.

Amba and Salva, the King of Salva , were secretly in love and Amba had promised to place the varmala on his neck, thereby choosing him as her bridegroom.

Bhishma learned of the ceremony of the three virtuous princesses, and went to the svayamvara to win the princesses for his step-brother Vichitravirya .

Upon arrival, Bhishma announced his intention to abduct the brides, challenging the assembled suitors to stop him.

Bhishma then forced the princesses into his chariot and rode away.

The kings followed and showered Bhishma with arrows; however, Bhishma returned the attack and defeated them.

Salva challenged Bhishma for a duel; Bhishma overpowered and wounded Salva, but spared his life.

Unaware of Amba's feelings, Bhishma proceeded to Hastinapura and presented them to Satyavati , who made arrangements for their marriage to Vichitravirya.

Amba approached Bhishma and the council of Brahmins and revealed that she and Salva were in love with each other and that she had been going to choose him as her husband in the svayamvara.

Bhishma conceded that she should make her own decision regarding the matter and sent her to Salva with honours, while Ambika and Ambalika were married to Vichitravirya.

Salva's rejection [ edit ] In the Ambopakhyanaparvan chapter of the book Udyoga Parva of the Mahabharata , the rest of Amba's tale is narrated by Bhishma when Duryodhana questions him as to why he did not kill Shikhandi , an ally of the Pandavas , the cousins and foes of the Kauravas .

Bhishma ensured that Amba was escorted safely to Salva's kingdom .

Amba informed Salva that she had come for him.

Salva retorted that he no longer desired her, as she was to be wed to another man.

He declared that she had been rightfully won by Bhishma, who had defeated and insulted him and the other kings.

He accused her of leaving with him of her own free will.

Amba pleaded with Salva, whom she considered her true love, to accept her.

But Salva reiterated his Kshatriya dharma and refused to accept her.

Rejected, the heart-broken Amba left the Salva Kingdom and retired to the forest.

In another version, Amba stung by this rejection went to Bhishma and accosted him, stating that he was responsible for all her problems.

Bhishma tried to convince Vichitravirya to marry Amba, but he rejected her stating that she was in love with someone else.

She then approached Bhishma to marry her.

He also refused due to his vow of celibacy .

This further infuriated Amba, as she had now been spurned by three bachelors.

She appealed to various kings to defeat Bhishma and bring her justice, but all of them refused, knowing Bhishma's capabilities.

Finally, the furious Amba went to the forest to please the devas so that she may have her revenge on Bhishma.

Parshurama's mediation [ edit ] Parasurama shoots Bhima in the presence of Amba , ca.

1616 Amba reflected on her plight and considered all the people responsible for it, including herself (as she did not escape Bhishma's chariot when Bhishma was fighting Salva), Bhishma (who abducted her), Salva (who rejected her) and her father (who arranged her svayamvara).

She finally arrived at the conclusion that Bhishma was the main culprit and swore to destroy him by austerities or battle.

She sought shelter with a group of ascetics that night and narrated her tale to them.

There the learned sage Shaikhavatya consoled Amba and promised to guide her in her austerities.

Other sages discussed amongst themselves Amba's situation and contemplated her alternatives and advised her to return to her father as there are only two true protectors of a woman: a father and a husband.

However, Amba declined, deciding to practice austerities.

The next day, the sage Hotravahana (of the Srinjaya race), a former king and Amba's maternal grandfather, passed by the place.

Upon listening to Amba's woe, the sage advised her not to return to her father and instead approach the sage Parashurama .

Akritavrana, one of Parashurama's disciples, also arrived at the place.

Hotravahana introduced Amba to Akritavrana and both of them explained Amba's ordeal to him.

Akritavrana gave Amba two options: either Parashurama should approach Salva to marry her or Bhishma should be defeated by Parashurama.

Amba asked Akritavrana to decide who was her culprit.

Akritavrana agreed with Amba that Bhishma was the root cause of her plight and should be the target of her revenge.

Akritavrana and Hotravahana explained Amba's predicament to Parashurama, whom Amba herself prayed to for help.