Shloka 106
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ११०: पार्थभीमयोः प्रहारः तथा भीष्माभिमुखं संग्रामविस्तारः
Arjuna and Bhima’s pressure; escalation toward Bhishma
इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत भीष्मपर्वके अन्तर्गत भीष्मवधपर्वमें नवें दिनके युद्धका समाप्तिविषयक एक सौ छठा अध्याय पूरा हुआ
śrutaṃ hi kurumukhyasya nāhaṃ hanyāṃ śikhaṇḍinam | kanyā hy eṣā purā bhūtvā puruṣaḥ samapadyata ||
সঞ্জয় বললেন—আমি কুরুশ্রেষ্ঠ ভীষ্মের এই সংকল্প শুনেছি: ‘আমি শিখণ্ডীকে বধ করব না; কারণ সে পূর্বে কন্যারূপে জন্মেছিল, পরে পুরুষরূপ লাভ করেছে।’
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, personal dharma and vows can impose limits on violence. Bhīṣma’s refusal to kill Śikhaṇḍin shows a chivalric ethic: he will not strike one he considers, by birth, a woman—highlighting how moral restraint can shape (and be exploited within) battlefield outcomes.
Sañjaya reports Bhīṣma’s declared resolve during the Kurukṣetra war: he will not kill Śikhaṇḍin because Śikhaṇḍin was formerly born as a maiden and later became male. This stance becomes strategically significant in the events leading to Bhīṣma’s fall.