Shloka 46
Kṛṣṇa-vīrya-kathana
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s appraisal of Vāsudeva’s deeds
देवव्रतस्य समरे हेतुं मृत्योर्महात्मन: । द्रोणायाभिमुखं यान्तं के शूरा: पर्यवारयन्,जो पुरुषसिंह स्त्री और पुरुष दोनों शरीरोंके गुण-अवगुणको अपने अनुभवद्वारा जानता है, युद्धस्थलमें जिसका मन कभी म्लान (उत्साहशून्य) नहीं होता, जो समरांगणमें महात्मा भीष्मकी मृत्युमें हेतु बन चुका है, उस द्रुपदपुत्र शिखण्डीको द्रोणाचार्यके सम्मुख आनेसे किन वीरोंने रोका था?
devavratasya samare hetuṁ mṛtyor mahātmanaḥ | droṇāyābhimukhaṁ yāntaṁ ke śūrāḥ paryavārayan ||
वैशम्पायन उवाच— देवव्रतस्य महात्मनः समरे मृत्योर्हेतुभूतं शिखण्डिनं द्रोणायाभिमुखं यान्तं के शूराः पर्यवारयन्?
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral causality in war: a warrior can become the ‘instrumental cause’ (hetu) of another’s death, and that reputation shapes subsequent battlefield responses. It also underscores the ethical weight of past actions—Bhīṣma’s fall becomes a defining marker that influences how others confront Śikhaṇḍin.
The narrator Vaiśampāyana asks who among the warriors blocked or checked Śikhaṇḍin’s advance as he moved directly toward Droṇācārya. Śikhaṇḍin is identified by his earlier role in Bhīṣma’s death, setting the stage for the next description of the opposing fighters and the tactical resistance he faces.