Shloka 50
नाभिसंधत्त पाज्चाल्ये स्मयमानो मुहुर्मुहु: । स्त्रीत्वं तस्यानुसंस्कृत्य भीष्मो बाणात् शिखण्डिने
sañjaya uvāca | nābhisaṃdhatta pāñcālye smayamāno muhur muhuḥ | strītvaṃ tasyānusaṃskṛtya bhīṣmo bāṇāt śikhaṇḍine ||
قال سنجيا: كان بهيشما يبتسم مرة بعد مرة، ولم يوجّه سهامه إلى أمير البانشالا (شيخاندين). وإذ تذكّر أن شيخاندين كان ذا أنوثةٍ في الأصل، كفَّ بهيشما عن رميه—فحتى في لهيب المعركة ظلّ وفيًّا لميثاقه الشخصي عمّن يَحِلّ ضربه وفق الدارما.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, Bhīṣma maintains a self-imposed ethical boundary: remembering Śikhaṇḍin’s womanhood, he refuses to target him. The verse highlights dharma as restraint and fidelity to one’s vows, not merely battlefield success.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīṣma, though fighting fiercely, does not aim arrows at Śikhaṇḍin. He repeatedly smiles and holds back, because he considers it improper to strike someone he regards as female, thereby allowing Śikhaṇḍin to stand before him without being attacked.