Shloka 18
Bhīṣma’s Fall, the Arrow-bed (śara-talpa), and the Establishment of Guard
अब्रवीच्च पुरा भीष्मो नाहं हन्यां शिखण्डिनम् । स्त्री होषा विहिता धात्रा दैवाच्च स पुनः पुमान्
abravīc ca purā bhīṣmo nāhaṁ hanyāṁ śikhaṇḍinam | strī hy eṣā vihitā dhātrā daivāc ca sa punaḥ pumān ||
Sañjaya said: “Bhīṣma had declared long ago, ‘I will not strike down Śikhaṇḍin. The Creator ordained this one as a woman; only later, by the turn of fate, did he become a man.’”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, dharma can impose limits: Bhīṣma upholds a vow not to attack one born female, showing that personal ethical commitments and notions of righteous conduct can restrain violence despite strategic disadvantage.
Sañjaya explains to Dhṛtarāṣṭra why Bhīṣma will not fight Śikhaṇḍin: Bhīṣma had earlier announced he would not kill him because Śikhaṇḍin was originally ordained as a woman, though later—by fate—he became a man.