Shloka 50
नाभिसंधत्त पाज्चाल्ये स्मयमानो मुहुर्मुहु: । स्त्रीत्वं तस्यानुसंस्कृत्य भीष्मो बाणात् शिखण्डिने
sañjaya uvāca | nābhisaṃdhatta pāñcālye smayamāno muhur muhuḥ | strītvaṃ tasyānusaṃskṛtya bhīṣmo bāṇāt śikhaṇḍine ||
Dijo Sañjaya: Sonriendo una y otra vez, Bhīṣma no dirigió sus flechas contra el príncipe de los Pāñcāla (Śikhaṇḍin). Al recordar la condición femenina de Śikhaṇḍin, Bhīṣma se abstuvo de dispararle—y así, aun en medio de la furia del combate, se mantuvo fiel a su propio código sobre a quién era justo herir.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, Bhīṣma maintains a self-imposed ethical boundary: remembering Śikhaṇḍin’s womanhood, he refuses to target him. The verse highlights dharma as restraint and fidelity to one’s vows, not merely battlefield success.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīṣma, though fighting fiercely, does not aim arrows at Śikhaṇḍin. He repeatedly smiles and holds back, because he considers it improper to strike someone he regards as female, thereby allowing Śikhaṇḍin to stand before him without being attacked.