Shloka 11
Śikhaṇḍī-janma-nigūḍha-vṛtta (The concealed birth-account of Śikhaṇḍī) | शिखण्डी-जन्म-निगूढ-वृत्त
भीष्म उवाच स हि प्रकृत्या वै भीतः किल्विषी च नराधिप: । भयं तीव्रमनुप्राप्तो द्रपद: पृथिवीपति:
bhīṣma uvāca | sa hi prakṛtyā vai bhītaḥ kilviṣī ca narādhipaḥ | bhayaṃ tīvram anuprāpto drupadaḥ pṛthivīpatiḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: For that king was by nature timid, and he had also incurred wrongdoing. Therefore Drupada, lord of the earth, was seized by an intense fear.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Fear is intensified when a person is already timid by temperament and is further burdened by wrongdoing; ethical lapse (kilviṣa) breeds inner insecurity and anticipation of consequences.
Bhishma characterizes Drupada as naturally fearful and additionally guilty of an offense; as a result, Drupada is described as being overtaken by severe fear, setting the emotional and moral backdrop for the unfolding political conflict.