Shloka 65
समाविशन्ति मर्माणि नेमे बाणा: शिखण्डिन: । अर्जुनस्य इमे बाणा नेमे बाणा: शिखण्डिन:
samāviśanti marmāṇi neme bāṇāḥ śikhaṇḍinaḥ | arjunasya ime bāṇā neme bāṇāḥ śikhaṇḍinaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “These arrows that pierce the vital points are not Śikhaṇḍin’s. These are Arjuna’s arrows; they are not Śikhaṇḍin’s.” In the moral tension of the battle, the line underscores how agency and responsibility in violence are attributed: the visible instrument (Śikhaṇḍin) is distinguished from the true executor (Arjuna), even as the act remains part of the larger, fated conflict.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights discernment of true agency in morally charged action: although Śikhaṇḍin is present as a tactical front, the decisive force and responsibility for the piercing arrows is attributed to Arjuna. It invites reflection on how intention, capability, and execution determine accountability, even amid strategic arrangements.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the arrows striking the vital points are not shot by Śikhaṇḍin but by Arjuna. The statement clarifies who is actually delivering the effective blows in the ongoing battle sequence involving Śikhaṇḍin and Arjuna.