Shloka 66
कृन्तन्ति मम गात्राणि माघमां सेगवा इव । 'ये बाण मेरे मर्मस्थानोंमें प्रवेश कर रहे हैं, अत: शिखण्डीके नहीं हैं। ये अर्जुनके बाण हैं। ये शिखण्डीके बाण नहीं हैं। जैसे केंकड़ीके बच्चे अपनी माताका उदर विदीर्ण करके बाहर निकलते हैं, उसी प्रकार ये बाण मेरे सम्पूर्ण अंगोंको छेदे डालते हैं ।। ६५ ह ।। सर्वे हापि न मे दु:खं कुर्युरन्ये नराधिपा:
sañjaya uvāca | kṛntanti mama gātrāṇi māghamāṃ segavā iva |
Sañjaya said: “They are tearing through my limbs, as if (sharp) segavā thorns were rending flesh. These arrows that strike the vital points are not Śikhaṇḍin’s; they are Arjuna’s. Like young creatures that split open their mother’s belly to emerge, so do these shafts pierce and rip through all my limbs.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical tension in war: even a mighty warrior recognizes the true agency behind an act (Arjuna’s skill) while the battle’s strategy (Śikhaṇḍin placed in front) complicates straightforward ideals of fair combat. It underscores how dharma in war can involve painful compromises, yet responsibility and prowess remain discernible.
During the battle, Bhīṣma is being struck in vital points by a storm of arrows. Although Śikhaṇḍin stands before Arjuna, Bhīṣma perceives that the deadly, precise shafts are Arjuna’s, not Śikhaṇḍin’s, and he describes the intense bodily torment caused by the arrows.