Shloka 106
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ११०: पार्थभीमयोः प्रहारः तथा भीष्माभिमुखं संग्रामविस्तारः
Arjuna and Bhima’s pressure; escalation toward Bhishma
इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत भीष्मपर्वके अन्तर्गत भीष्मवधपर्वमें नवें दिनके युद्धका समाप्तिविषयक एक सौ छठा अध्याय पूरा हुआ,श्रुतं हि कुरुमुख्यस्य नाहं हन्यां शिखण्डिनम् । कन्या होषा पुरा भूत्वा पुरुष: समपद्यत कुरुकुलके प्रधान वीर भीष्मका यह निश्चय है कि मैं शिखण्डीको नहीं मारूँगा; क्योंकि वह पहले कन्यारूपमें उत्पन्न होकर पीछे पुरुष हुआ है
śrutaṃ hi kurumukhyasya nāhaṃ hanyāṃ śikhaṇḍinam | kanyā hy eṣā purā bhūtvā puruṣaḥ samapadyata ||
सञ्जय उवाच—श्रुतं हि कुरुमुख्यस्य भीष्मस्यैतद्व्रतं मया। नाहं हन्यां शिखण्डिनं कन्या ह्येषा पुरा भूत्वा पुरुषः समपद्यत॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, personal dharma and vows can impose limits on violence. Bhīṣma’s refusal to kill Śikhaṇḍin shows a chivalric ethic: he will not strike one he considers, by birth, a woman—highlighting how moral restraint can shape (and be exploited within) battlefield outcomes.
Sañjaya reports Bhīṣma’s declared resolve during the Kurukṣetra war: he will not kill Śikhaṇḍin because Śikhaṇḍin was formerly born as a maiden and later became male. This stance becomes strategically significant in the events leading to Bhīṣma’s fall.