Shloka 27
Adhyāya 10: Śrutakarmā’s Engagements; Prativindhya–Citra Duel; Drauṇi Advances toward Bhīma
न्यस्तशस्त्रे च भवति हतो भीष्म: पितामह: । शिखण्डिनं पुरस्कृत्य फाल्गुनेन महाहवे,“उन दिनों तुमने हथियार रख दिया था; इसलिये महासमरमें अर्जुनने शिखण्डीको आगे करके पितामह भीष्मको मार डाला था
nyastaśastre ca bhavati hato bhīṣmaḥ pitāmahaḥ | śikhaṇḍinaṃ puraskṛtya phālgunena mahāhave ||
Sañjaya said: “When he had laid down his weapons, the grandsire Bhīṣma was struck down in that great battle—Arjuna (Phālguna) placing Śikhaṇḍin in front. The episode underscores the tragic moral tension of war: a revered elder is defeated not by sheer force alone, but through a tactical arrangement shaped by vows, identity, and the constraints of dharma on the battlefield.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical complexity of dharma in war: even a righteous and revered elder like Bhīṣma can be brought down through a strategy that exploits his vows and moral constraints. It invites reflection on how duty, vows, and battlefield necessity can collide, producing outcomes that are tactically effective yet morally fraught.
Sañjaya recalls the moment Bhīṣma was felled: Arjuna advances with Śikhaṇḍin placed before him, and Bhīṣma—constrained by his stance toward Śikhaṇḍin and effectively disarmed/with weapons lowered—becomes vulnerable and is struck down in the great battle.