Shloka 11
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Remorse and Vyāsa’s Teaching on Impermanence (Śoka-nivāraṇa)
स्वयं मृत्युं रक्षमाण: पाञ्चाल्यं यः शिखण्डिनम् । न बाणै: पातयामास सोअ3र्जुनेन निपातित:
svayaṃ mṛtyuṃ rakṣamāṇaḥ pāñcālyaṃ yaḥ śikhaṇḍinam | na bāṇaiḥ pātayāmāsa so 'rjunena nipātitaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira nói: “Người ấy, như thể đang che chở chính Thần Chết, đã bảo hộ hoàng tử xứ Pāñcāla là Śikhaṇḍin và không dùng tên bắn hạ—chính vị đại phụ ấy đã bị Arjuna quật ngã.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between personal vows and battlefield duty: Bhīṣma’s refusal to strike Śikhaṇḍin (due to his principles and prior knowledge of Śikhaṇḍin’s identity/history) becomes the very condition that enables his fall, showing how dharma-based restraint can shape outcomes even in war.
Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on the moment Bhīṣma, treating Śikhaṇḍin as untouchable, protects him and does not shoot him; using Śikhaṇḍin as a screen, Arjuna then shoots Bhīṣma and brings him down.