Shloka 22
शिखण्डी तु रणे राजन् विव्याधैव पितामहम् । शरैरशनिसंस्पर्शैस्तथा सर्पविषोपमै:
sañjaya uvāca | śikhaṇḍī tu raṇe rājan vivyādhaiva pitāmaham | śarair aśani-saṃsparśais tathā sarpa-viṣopamaiḥ ||
Wika ni Sanjaya: O Hari, sa kasagsagan ng labanan, sinimulan ni Śikhaṇḍī na sugatan ang lolo-sa-tuhod na si Bhīṣma sa pamamagitan ng mga palaso—tumitimo na parang dampi ng kulog at nakapangingilabot na gaya ng lason ng ahas—na nagpapakita na sa digmaan, maging ang pinakaginagalang na nakatatanda ay maaaring lusubin kapag ang agos ng estratehiya at dating alitan ay bumaling laban sa kanya.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the harsh moral complexity of war: reverence for elders and ideals of honor can be overridden by battlefield strategy and the momentum of destiny, revealing how dharma in conflict often becomes entangled with necessity and prior causes.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that Shikhandi is actively striking Bhishma with fierce arrows in battle, initiating the decisive pressure that will lead to Bhishma’s downfall.