Shloka 87
आत्तशस्त्रो रणे यत्तो गृहीतवरकार्मुक: । मां पातयतु बीभत्सुरेवं तव जयो ध्रुवम्,इसलिये यह अर्जुन श्रेष्ठ धनुष तथा दूसरे अस्त्र-शस्त्र लेकर युद्धमें सावधानीके साथ प्रयत्नशील हो और उपर्युक्त लक्षणोंसे युक्त किसी पुरुषको अथवा शिखण्डीको मेरे सामने खड़ा करके स्वयं बाणोंद्वारा मुझे मार गिरावे। इसी प्रकार तुम्हारी निश्चितरूपसे विजय हो सकती है
āttaśastro raṇe yatto gṛhītavarakārmukaḥ | māṃ pātayatu bībhatsur evaṃ tava jayo dhruvam ||
Bhīṣma said: “Let Bībhatsu (Arjuna), armed with weapons and intent upon the battle, taking up his excellent bow, strike me down. If he does so, your victory is assured.” In ethical context, Bhīṣma indicates a strategic and duty-bound means to end an otherwise unassailable resistance, pointing to the hard choices of war where victory is sought through a specific, fated instrument rather than through mere brute force.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, outcomes hinge on disciplined resolve and the right means aligned with one’s role (kṣatriya-dharma). Bhīṣma frames his own fall as requiring a specific, deliberate act by Arjuna—suggesting that victory is not merely power, but purposeful action within a morally complex field.
Bhīṣma, speaking from the Kaurava side, indicates the condition under which he can be brought down: Arjuna, fully armed and intent on battle, should strike him so that the opposing side’s victory becomes certain. In the broader episode, this aligns with the plan of placing Śikhaṇḍin before Bhīṣma and having Arjuna shoot, though Śikhaṇḍin is not explicitly named in this half-verse.