Shloka 7
भीष्मरथाभिमुख्यं — Arjuna’s advance with Śikhaṇḍin; Duḥśāsana’s interception
शिखण्डी तं च विव्याध भरतानां पितामहम् । स्त्रीमयं मनसा ध्यात्वा नास्मै प्राहरदच्युत:,शिखण्डीने भरतवंशियोंके पितामह भीष्मको बींध डाला; परंतु मन-ही-मन उसे स्त्रीरूप मानकर अपनी मर्यादासे च्युत न होनेवाले भीष्मने उसपर प्रहार नहीं किया
śikhaṇḍī taṃ ca vivyādha bharatānāṃ pitāmaham | strīmayaṃ manasā dhyātvā nāsmai prāharad acyutaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Śikhaṇḍī pierced that grandsire of the Bharatas, Bhīṣma. Yet Bhīṣma—unshaken from his vowed propriety—refused to strike back at him, for in his mind he regarded Śikhaṇḍī as female.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma as self-restraint even amid war: Bhīṣma prioritizes his ethical vow—never to strike one he regards as a woman—over tactical advantage, showing how personal vows and moral codes can govern conduct even in extreme conflict.
During the Kurukṣetra battle, Śikhaṇḍī shoots Bhīṣma with arrows. Bhīṣma does not retaliate because he mentally classifies Śikhaṇḍī as female (due to Śikhaṇḍī’s earlier identity), and thus refrains from attacking, which contributes to Bhīṣma’s vulnerability.