foremost of great sages, saying, ’O thou of mighty arms, where, O Akritavrana, may that foremost of persons acquainted with the Vedas, viz., Jamadagni’s son of great prowess be seen?’ Akritavrana answered him saying, ’O lord, Rama always speaketh of thee, O king, saying,—­That royal sage of the Srinjayas is my dear friend,—­I believe, Rama will be here tomorrow morning.  Thou wilt see him even here when he cometh to behold thee.  As regards this maiden, for what, O royal sage, hath she come to the wood?  Whose is she, and what is she to thee?  I desire to know all this.’  Hotravahana. said, ’The favourite daughter of the ruler of Kasi, she is, O lord, my daughter’s child!  The eldest daughter of the king of Kasi, she is known by the name of Amva.  Along with her two younger sisters, O sinless one, she was in the midst of her Swayamvara ceremonies.  The names of her two younger sisters are Amvika and Amvalika, O thou endued with wealth of asceticism!  All the Kshatriya kings of the earth were assembled together at the city of Kasi.  And, O regenerate Rishi, great festivities were going on there on account of (the self-choice of) these maidens.  In the midst of these, Santanu’s son, Bhishma, of mighty valour, disregarding all the kings, abducted the girls.  Vanquishing all the monarchs, the pure-souled prince Bhishma of Bharata’s race then reached Hastinapura, and representing everything unto Satyavati, ordered his brother Vichitravirya’s marriage to take place with the girls he had brought.  Beholding the arrangements for those nuptials complete, this maiden, O bull among Brahmanas, then addressed Ganga’s son in the presence of his ministers and said,—­I have, O hero, within my heart chosen the lord of the Salwas to be my husband.  Conversant as thou art with morality, it behoveth thee not to bestow me on thy brother, whose heart is given away to another!—­Hearing these words of hers, Bhishma took counsel with his ministers.  Deliberating on the matter, he, at last, with Satyavati’s consent, dismissed this maiden, Permitted thus by Bhishma, this girl gladly repaired to Salwa, the lord of Saubha, and approaching him said,—­Dismissed I have been by Bhishma.  See that I do not fall off from righteousness!  In my heart, I have chosen thee for my lord, O bull among kings.  Salwa, however, rejected her, suspecting the purity of her conduct.  Even she hath come to these woods, sacred for asceticism, being ardently inclined to devote herself to ascetic penances!  She was recognised by me from the account that she gave of her parentage.  As regards her sorrow, Bhishma is considered by her to be its root!’ After Hotravahana had ceased, Amva herself said, ’O holy one, it is even so as this lord of earth, this author of my mother’s body, Hotravahana of the Srinjaya race hath said.  I cannot venture to go back to my own city, O thou that art endued with wealth of asceticism, for shame and fear of disgrace, O great Muni!  At present, O holy one, even this is what hath been my determination, viz., that that would be my highest duty which the holy Rama, O best of Brahmanas, might point out to me!’”