Shloka 78
शिखण्डिनमथो ब्रूहि उलूक वचनान्मम । स्त्रीति मत्वा महाबाहुर्न हनिष्पति कौरव:,“उलूक! इसके बाद तुम शिखण्डीसे भी मेरी यह बात कहना--“धनुर्धारियोंमें श्रेष्ठ गंगापुत्र कुरुवंशी महाबाहु भीष्म तुम्हें स्त्री समझकर नहीं मारेंगे; इसलिये तुम अब निर्भय होकर युद्ध करना और समरभूमिमें यत्नपूर्वक पराक्रम प्रकट करना। हम तुम्हारा पुरुषार्थ देखेंगे”
śikhaṇḍinam atho brūhi ulūka vacanān mama | strīti matvā mahābāhur na haniṣyati kauravaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “And then, O Ulūka, convey my words to Śikhaṇḍin as well: ‘The mighty-armed Kaurava, Bhīṣma—the Gaṅgā-born, foremost among bowmen—will not strike you, taking you to be a woman. Therefore fight without fear, and on the battlefield display your valor with careful effort; we shall witness your manly prowess.’”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a martial-ethical constraint: Bhīṣma’s kṣatriya code prevents him from striking someone he regards as a woman. It also shows how such ethical vows can be exploited strategically—moral rules shape battlefield outcomes as much as weapons do.
Sañjaya instructs the Kaurava envoy Ulūka to deliver a taunting, confidence-building message to Śikhaṇḍin: Bhīṣma will not attack him, so he should fight fearlessly and display valor. The message functions as psychological pressure and tactical signaling before the great war.