Shloka 19
भीष्मरक्षण-प्रकरणम् / The Protective Screen around Bhīṣma and the Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Clash
अहं तु सोमकान् सर्वान् पज्चालांश्व॒ समागतान् | निहनिष्ये नरव्यात्र वर्जयित्वा शिखण्डिनम्,'किंतु पुरुषसिंह! मैं केवल शिखण्डीको छोड़कर युद्धमें आये हुए समस्त सोमकों और पांचालोंको भी मार डालूँगा
ahaṃ tu somakān sarvān pāñcālāṃś ca samāgatān | nihaniṣye naravyāghra varjayitvā śikhaṇḍinam ||
Sañjaya said: “But I, O tiger among men, will slay all the Somakas and the assembled Pāñcālas who have come to this battle—except for Śikhaṇḍin.” The statement underscores a warrior’s vow shaped by personal resolve and battlefield ethics: a sweeping intent to destroy the opposing host is paired with a deliberate exclusion, reflecting the complex moral codes and strategic considerations that govern combatants in the Kurukṣetra war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid total war, action is framed by codes and intentions: the speaker expresses uncompromising martial resolve while simultaneously marking an exception (Śikhaṇḍin), illustrating how battlefield conduct can be shaped by perceived propriety, personal vows, and strategic-ethical constraints.
In the Bhīṣma Parva war-reporting context, Sañjaya recounts a warrior’s declaration of intent: to kill the gathered Somakas and Pāñcālas who have come to fight, while explicitly sparing (or refusing to engage) Śikhaṇḍin.