Shloka 60
शिखण्डिनं च कौन्तेयो याहि याहीत्यचोदयत् । भीष्म प्रति महाराज जह्ोनमिति चाब्रवीत्,महाराज! कुन्तीकुमार अर्जुन शिखण्डीको बार-बार यह प्रेरणा देते और कहते थे कि तुम भीष्मकी ओर बढ़ो और इन्हें मार डालो
śikhaṇḍinaṃ ca kaunteyo yāhi yāhīty acodayat | bhīṣmaṃ prati mahārāja haniṣyāmīti cābravīt ||
Sañjaya said: O King, the son of Kuntī (Arjuna) repeatedly urged Śikhaṇḍin, saying, “Go on, go on!” and, advancing toward Bhīṣma, declared, “I will strike him down.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the tension between dharma and necessity in war: even when facing a revered and righteous opponent like Bhīṣma, a kṣatriya must act to uphold duty and protect justice, yet seeks a path that minimizes direct ethical transgression—hence the strategic use of Śikhaṇḍin.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna repeatedly urges Śikhaṇḍin to advance, while Arjuna himself moves toward Bhīṣma and declares his intent to bring him down, setting up the decisive confrontation on the battlefield.