Shloka 3
स्त्रीत्वं तस्यप स्मरन् राजन् सर्वलोकस्य पश्यत: । नाजघान रणे भीष्म: स च तन्नावबुद्धवान्,राजन! किंतु उसके स्त्रीत्वका विचार करके भीष्मजीने युद्धस्थलमें उसपर कोई आघात नहीं किया। इस बातको सब लोगोंने देखा; पर शिखण्डी इस बातको नहीं समझ सका
strītvam tasya sma ran rājan sarvalokasya paśyataḥ | nājaghāna raṇe bhīṣmaḥ sa ca tan nāvabuddhavān rājan |
Sañjaya said: O King, remembering that Śikhaṇḍin was of womanhood, and while the whole host looked on, Bhīṣma did not strike him in battle. Yet Śikhaṇḍin, O King, did not understand the reason for this.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights restraint as a form of dharma: even in war, Bhīṣma upholds a moral boundary by refusing to strike one he regards as a woman, showing that ethical commitments can limit violence even amid battlefield duty.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma, recalling Śikhaṇḍin’s female identity, does not attack him while everyone watches; Śikhaṇḍin, however, fails to grasp why Bhīṣma is holding back.