Shloka 823
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ११०: पार्थभीमयोः प्रहारः तथा भीष्माभिमुखं संग्रामविस्तारः
Arjuna and Bhima’s pressure; escalation toward Bhishma
मामेव विशिखैस्ती3्ष्णैरभिद्रवतु दंशित: । ये सारी बातें जैसे हुई हैं, वह सब तुमलोग भी जानते हो। शूरवीर अर्जुन समरांगणमें कवच धारण करके शिखण्डीको आगे रखकर मुझपर तीखे बाणोंद्वारा आक्रमण करे
mām eva viśikhaiḥ tīkṣṇair abhidravatu daṁśitaḥ |
Bhīṣma berkata: “Biarlah pahlawan yang berzirah itu menerjang terus kepadaku dengan anak panah yang tajam semata-mata. Kamu semua sudah mengetahui bagaimana segala-galanya telah berlaku. Biarlah Arjuna yang gagah, mengenakan zirah di medan perang, meletakkan Śikhaṇḍī di hadapan, lalu menyerangku dengan panah-panah yang runcing.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights kṣatriya-dharma and the ethics of facing one’s destined end without evasion: Bhīṣma accepts the inevitable course shaped by vows and prior events, and calls for a direct, honourable confrontation even when it leads to his own downfall.
Bhīṣma, foreseeing the manner of his defeat, declares that Arjuna should advance in battle with Śikhaṇḍī placed in front and strike him with sharp arrows. This points to the well-known strategy used to neutralize Bhīṣma’s reluctance to fight Śikhaṇḍī, enabling Arjuna to bring Bhīṣma down.