Shloka 496
न चक्ुस्ते रुजं तस्य रुक्मपुड्खा: शिलाशिता: । महारथी शिखण्डीने रणक्षेत्रमें जिनका प्रयोग किया था, वे शानपर चढ़ाकर तेज किये हुए सुवर्णमय पंखयुक्त बाण भीष्मजीके शरीरमें कोई घाव या पीड़ा नहीं उत्पन्न कर सके
na cakṣuste rujaṃ tasya rukmapuṅkhāḥ śilāśitāḥ |
Sañjaya said: Even the gold-feathered arrows, honed sharp upon a whetstone, did not produce any wound or pain in him. Thus, on the battlefield, Śikhaṇḍin’s volleys failed to harm Bhīṣma—underscoring Bhīṣma’s extraordinary martial invulnerability and the fateful, dharma-laden conditions under which he could be brought down.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that mere force and weaponry do not always determine outcomes in a dharma-charged conflict; Bhīṣma’s fall is governed by specific ethical and fated conditions, so ordinary attacks—even expertly prepared—may prove ineffective.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Śikhaṇḍin’s sharpened, gold-fletched arrows, though used in the battle against Bhīṣma, did not cause Bhīṣma any visible wound or pain at that moment.