Shloka 37
अध्याय ९ — कर्णस्य प्रहारः, योधयुग्मनियोजनम्, शैनेय-कैकेययोर्युद्धविन्यासः
भीष्ममप्रतियुद्धयन्तं शिखण्डी सायकोत्तमै: । पातयामास समरे सर्वशस्त्रभूृतां वरम्,समस्त शस्त्रधारियोंमें श्रेष्ठ भीष्म जब युद्ध नहीं कर रहे थे, उस दशामें शिखण्डीने अपने उत्तम बाणोंद्वारा उन्हें समरांगणमें मार गिराया
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
bhīṣmam apratiyuddhayantaṁ śikhaṇḍī sāyakottamaiḥ |
pātayāmāsa samare sarvaśastrabhṛtāṁ varam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: When Bhīṣma, the foremost among all bearers of weapons, was not offering resistance in battle, Śikhaṇḍī struck him with excellent arrows and caused him to fall on the battlefield. The episode underscores the moral tension of war: victory is pursued through tactical advantage, even when the opponent’s restraint (here, Bhīṣma’s refusal to fight Śikhaṇḍī) creates an ethically charged asymmetry.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical strain within dharma-yuddha: even a supremely righteous warrior like Bhīṣma may refuse to fight under certain moral constraints, and opponents may still exploit that restraint for strategic success—raising questions about fairness, duty, and the costs of victory.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Śikhaṇḍī, using excellent arrows, brings down Bhīṣma on the battlefield at a moment when Bhīṣma is not fighting back, emphasizing Bhīṣma’s non-resistance toward Śikhaṇḍī and the resulting tactical outcome.