Shloka 29
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ७२: सैन्यगुणवर्णनम्, व्यूहरक्षा, दैव-पुरुषकारचिन्ता
शिखण्डिनं समासाद्य भरतानां पितामह: । अवर्जयत संग्राम॑ स्त्रीत्वं तस्यानुसंस्मरन्,भरतकुलके पितामह भीष्मने शिखण्डीके सामने पहुँचकर उसके स्त्रीत्वका बारंबार स्मरण करते हुए युद्ध बंद कर दिया
śikhaṇḍinaṃ samāsādya bharatānāṃ pitāmahaḥ | avarjayata saṅgrāmaṃ strītvaṃ tasyānusaṃsmaran ||
शिखंडीसमोर येताच भरतवंशाचे पितामह भीष्म त्याच्या स्त्रीत्वाचे वारंवार स्मरण करून संग्रामातून विरत झाले.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in a just or unavoidable war, personal dharma can impose limits on violence. Bhīṣma’s refusal to engage Śikhaṇḍin shows adherence to a self-imposed ethical boundary—he will not fight someone he regards as female—highlighting how vows and honor-codes shape conduct amid conflict.
On the battlefield, Bhīṣma encounters Śikhaṇḍin directly. Remembering Śikhaṇḍin’s earlier female identity, Bhīṣma deliberately ceases or avoids combat against him, creating an opening that others can exploit in the larger Kurukṣetra struggle.