Shloka 34
भीष्मरक्षण-प्रकरणम् / The Protective Screen around Bhīṣma and the Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Clash
अब्रवीद्धि विशुद्धात्मा नाहं हन्यां शिखण्डिनम् । स्त्रीपूर्वको हासौ राजंस्तस्माद् वर्ज्यों मया रणे,“विशुद्ध अन्तःकरणवाले महात्मा भीष्मने मुझसे कहा है कि “राजन! मैं शिखण्डीको नहीं मार सकता; क्योंकि वह पहले स्त्रीरूपमें उत्पन्न हुआ था और इसीलिये युद्धमें मुझे उसका परित्याग कर देना है
abravīd dhi viśuddhātmā nāhaṁ hanyāṁ śikhaṇḍinam | strīpūrvako hy asau rājaṁs tasmād varjyo mayā raṇe ||
Sañjaya said: The pure-souled Bhīṣma told me, “O King, I will not strike down Śikhaṇḍin. He was formerly born as a woman; therefore, in battle I must refrain from engaging him.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, dharma can impose limits: Bhīṣma upholds a personal-ethical restraint by refusing to strike Śikhaṇḍin because he regards him as having been female before, and thus not a proper target for him in battle.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma has declared he will not kill Śikhaṇḍin on the battlefield, citing Śikhaṇḍin’s prior female identity as the reason for avoiding combat with him.