Shloka 823
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ११०: पार्थभीमयोः प्रहारः तथा भीष्माभिमुखं संग्रामविस्तारः
Arjuna and Bhima’s pressure; escalation toward Bhishma
मामेव विशिखैस्ती3्ष्णैरभिद्रवतु दंशित: । ये सारी बातें जैसे हुई हैं, वह सब तुमलोग भी जानते हो। शूरवीर अर्जुन समरांगणमें कवच धारण करके शिखण्डीको आगे रखकर मुझपर तीखे बाणोंद्वारा आक्रमण करे
mām eva viśikhaiḥ tīkṣṇair abhidravatu daṁśitaḥ |
Bhīṣma said: “Let the armoured warrior rush straight at me with sharp arrows alone. You all already know how everything has unfolded. Let the heroic Arjuna, wearing his armour on the battlefield, place Śikhaṇḍī in front and assail me with keen shafts.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights kṣatriya-dharma and the ethics of facing one’s destined end without evasion: Bhīṣma accepts the inevitable course shaped by vows and prior events, and calls for a direct, honourable confrontation even when it leads to his own downfall.
Bhīṣma, foreseeing the manner of his defeat, declares that Arjuna should advance in battle with Śikhaṇḍī placed in front and strike him with sharp arrows. This points to the well-known strategy used to neutralize Bhīṣma’s reluctance to fight Śikhaṇḍī, enabling Arjuna to bring Bhīṣma down.