Shloka 51
शिखण्डिनं पुरस्कृत्य धनुश्वास्य समाच्छिनत् । तत्पश्चात् क्रोधमें भरे हुए अर्जुन शिखण्डीको आगे रखकर पुन: भीष्मकी ही ओर बढ़े। उन्होंने भीष्मजीके धनुषको काट दिया ।।
sañjaya uvāca | śikhaṇḍinaṃ puraskṛtya dhanuḥ śvāsya samācchinat | athainaṃ navabhir viddhvā dhvajam ekena cicchide ||
Sañjaya sprach: Indem er Śikhaṇḍin vor sich stellte, spannte Arjuna den Bogen und hieb Bhīṣmas Bogen entzwei. Dann traf er Bhīṣma mit neun Pfeilen und kappte mit einem einzigen Schaft dessen Banner—den Angriff weiter vorantreibend, während er Śikhaṇḍin als Deckung nutzte, wie es die düsteren Listen des Krieges erlauben.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between dharma and battlefield necessity: even great warriors may resort to tactical arrangements (placing Śikhaṇḍin forward) to overcome an otherwise invincible opponent, showing how war pressures ethical ideals and forces hard choices within the kṣatriya code.
Sañjaya narrates Arjuna advancing toward Bhīṣma with Śikhaṇḍin positioned in front, then cutting Bhīṣma’s bow, piercing him with nine arrows, and finally severing his banner with a single arrow—signaling Bhīṣma’s weakening and the turning of the battle.