Shloka 18
भीष्मपतनविषये धृतराष्ट्रस्य प्रश्नाः | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Questions on Bhīṣma’s Fall
अरक्ष्यमाणं हि वृको हन्यात् सिंहं महाबलम् । मा सिंहं जम्बुकेनेव घातयाम: शिखण्डिना,“यदि महाबली सिंह भी अरक्षित-दशामें हो तो उसे एक भेड़िया भी मार सकता है। हमें चाहिये कि सियारके समान शिखण्डीके द्वारा सिंहसदृश भीष्मको न मरने दें
arakṣyamāṇaṃ hi vṛko hanyāt siṃhaṃ mahābalam | mā siṃhaṃ jambuken eva ghātayāmaḥ śikhaṇḍinā |
Sañjaya berkata: “Seekor serigala pun mampu membunuh singa yang perkasa jika singa itu dibiarkan tanpa perlindungan. Janganlah kita biarkan Bhīṣma—yang gagah laksana singa—ditumbangkan oleh Śikhaṇḍin, seperti singa yang dijatuhkan oleh seekor jakal.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses animal imagery to warn that even the greatest can be defeated if left unprotected, and it frames an ethical concern: a heroic warrior should not be brought down through an ignoble or opportunistic means.
Sañjaya comments on the battlefield situation, likening Bhīṣma to a lion and Śikhaṇḍin to a jackal, urging that Bhīṣma should not be allowed to be killed through Śikhaṇḍin’s involvement—implying a tactical and moral objection to that mode of defeat.