Shloka 50
नाभिसंधत्त पाज्चाल्ये स्मयमानो मुहुर्मुहु: । स्त्रीत्वं तस्यानुसंस्कृत्य भीष्मो बाणात् शिखण्डिने
sañjaya uvāca | nābhisaṃdhatta pāñcālye smayamāno muhur muhuḥ | strītvaṃ tasyānusaṃskṛtya bhīṣmo bāṇāt śikhaṇḍine ||
サンジャヤは言った。ビ―シュマは幾度も微笑み、パンチャーラの王子シカンディンに矢を向けなかった。シカンディンの「女であった身」を思い起こし、ビ―シュマは射ることを慎んだ――戦の狂乱のただ中にあっても、誰を討つのが義（ダルマ）にかなうかという己の掟を守り抜いたのである。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, Bhīṣma maintains a self-imposed ethical boundary: remembering Śikhaṇḍin’s womanhood, he refuses to target him. The verse highlights dharma as restraint and fidelity to one’s vows, not merely battlefield success.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīṣma, though fighting fiercely, does not aim arrows at Śikhaṇḍin. He repeatedly smiles and holds back, because he considers it improper to strike someone he regards as female, thereby allowing Śikhaṇḍin to stand before him without being attacked.