भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ११०: पार्थभीमयोः प्रहारः तथा भीष्माभिमुखं संग्रामविस्तारः
Arjuna and Bhima’s pressure; escalation toward Bhishma
अहमन्यान् महेष्वासान् वारयिष्यामि सायकै: । शिखण्ड्यपि युधां श्रेष्ठ भीष्ममेवाभियोधयेत्,मैं बाणोंद्वारा अन्य महाधनुर्धरोंको रोकूँगा। शिखण्डी भी योद्धाओंमें श्रेष्ठ भीष्मके साथ ही युद्ध करे
aham anyān maheṣvāsān vārayiṣyāmi sāyakaiḥ | śikhaṇḍy api yudhāṃ śreṣṭha bhīṣmam evābhiyodhayet ||
อรชุนกล่าวว่า “เราจักใช้ศรสกัดนักธนูผู้ยิ่งใหญ่คนอื่น ๆ ไว้ และศิขัณฑีด้วย—โอผู้ประเสริฐในหมู่นักรบ—พึงเข้าประจัญกับภีษมะเพียงผู้เดียว”
अजुन उवाच
The verse highlights dharma under constraint: Arjuna balances reverence for Bhīṣma with the obligation to fulfill the war’s duty. He chooses a course that minimizes direct personal transgression (not seeking Bhīṣma’s fall by his own hand) while still enabling the army’s necessary objective through strategy and delegated engagement.
Arjuna declares a tactical division of labor on the battlefield: he will check the other powerful archers so they cannot interfere, while Śikhaṇḍin is to confront Bhīṣma directly. This sets up the focused engagement with Bhīṣma amid the larger Kurukṣetra conflict.