Shloka 50
नाभिसंधत्त पाज्चाल्ये स्मयमानो मुहुर्मुहु: । स्त्रीत्वं तस्यानुसंस्कृत्य भीष्मो बाणात् शिखण्डिने
sañjaya uvāca | nābhisaṃdhatta pāñcālye smayamāno muhur muhuḥ | strītvaṃ tasyānusaṃskṛtya bhīṣmo bāṇāt śikhaṇḍine ||
三阇耶说道：毗湿摩一次又一次含笑，并不将箭矢指向般遮罗的王子——尸佉ṇḍin。念及尸佉ṇḍin曾为女子之身，毗湿摩便克制自己，不向他放箭——纵在战场狂怒之中，他仍守持自身的誓约与准则：何人当击，何人不当击。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, Bhīṣma maintains a self-imposed ethical boundary: remembering Śikhaṇḍin’s womanhood, he refuses to target him. The verse highlights dharma as restraint and fidelity to one’s vows, not merely battlefield success.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīṣma, though fighting fiercely, does not aim arrows at Śikhaṇḍin. He repeatedly smiles and holds back, because he considers it improper to strike someone he regards as female, thereby allowing Śikhaṇḍin to stand before him without being attacked.