Shloka 36
भीष्मरक्षण-प्रकरणम् / The Protective Screen around Bhīṣma and the Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Clash
नैवं चाहं स्त्रियं जातु न स्त्रीपूर्व कथंचन । हन्यां युधि नरश्रेष्ठ सत्यमेतद् ब्रवीमि ते,“नरश्रेष्ठ! मैं कभी किसी स्त्रीको अथवा जो पहले स्त्री रहा हो, उस पुरुषको भी किसी प्रकार युद्धमें मार नहीं सकता; यह मैं तुमसे सत्य कहता हूँ
naiva cāhaṁ striyaṁ jātu na strīpūrvaḥ kathaṁcana | hanyāṁ yudhi naraśreṣṭha satyam etad bravīmi te ||
Sañjaya said: “Never would I strike down a woman—nor, in any circumstance, one who was formerly a woman—even in the midst of battle. O best of men, I tell you this as the truth.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a warrior’s ethical restraint: even amid war, certain targets are considered inviolable. The speaker frames this as a truth-bound commitment, showing how personal vows and dharma-based limits can govern conduct on the battlefield.
In the Bhīṣma Parva war narrative, a key combatant articulates a firm refusal to kill a woman or someone known to have been a woman previously—an ethical stance that becomes strategically significant in the unfolding battle situations.