तेष्व् अनीकेषु यत् तेषु व्यूढेषु च विधानतः ॥
दुर्योधनो महाराज दुःशासनम् अथाब्रवीत् ॥
दुःशासन रथास् तूर्णं युज्यन्तां भीष्मरक्षिणः ॥
अनीकानि च सर्वाणि शीघ्रं त्वम् अनुचोदय ॥
अयं मा समनुप्राप्तो वर्षपूगाभिचिन्तितः ॥
पाण्डवानां ससैन्यानां कुरूणां च समागमः ॥
नातः कार्यतमं मन्ये रणे भीष्मस्य रक्षणात् ॥
हन्याद् गुप्तो ह्य् असौ पार्थान् सोमकांश् च ससृञ्जयान् ॥
अब्रवीच् च विशुद्धात्मा नाहं हन्यां शिखण्डिनम् ॥
श्रूयते स्त्री ह्य् असौ पूर्वं तस्माद् वर्ज्यो रणे मम ॥
तस्माद् भीष्मो रक्षितव्यो विशेषेणेति मे मतिः ॥
शिखण्डिनो वधे यत्ताः सर्वे तिष्ठन्तु मामकाः ॥
तथा प्राच्याः प्रतीच्याश् च दाक्षिणात्योत्तरापथाः ॥
सर्वशस्त्रास्त्रकुशलास् ते रक्षन्तु पितामहम् ॥
अरक्ष्यमाणं हि वृको हन्यात् सिंहं महाबलम् ॥
मा सिंहं जम्बुकेनेव घातयामः शिखण्डिना ॥
वामं चक्रं युधामन्युर् उत्तमौजाश् च दक्षिणम् ॥
गोप्तारौ फल्गुनस्यैतौ फल्गुनो ऽपि शिखण्डिनः ॥
संरक्ष्यमाणः पार्थेन भीष्मेण च विवर्जितः ॥
यथा न हन्याद् गाङ्गेयं दुःशासन तथा कुरु ॥
teṣv anīkeṣu yat teṣu vyūḍheṣu ca vidhānataḥ ||
duryodhano mahārāja duḥśāsanam athābravīt ||
duḥśāsana rathās tūrṇaṃ yujyantāṃ bhīṣmarakṣiṇaḥ ||
anīkāni ca sarvāṇi śīghraṃ tvam anucodaya ||
ayaṃ mā samanuprāpto varṣapūgābhicintitaḥ ||
pāṇḍavānāṃ sasainyānāṃ kurūṇāṃ ca samāgamaḥ ||
nātaḥ kāryatamaṃ manye raṇe bhīṣmasya rakṣaṇāt ||
hanyād gupto hy asau pārthān somakāṃś ca sasṛñjayān ||
abravīc ca viśuddhātmā nāhaṃ hanyāṃ śikhaṇḍinam ||
śrūyate strī hy asau pūrvaṃ tasmād varjyo raṇe mama ||
tasmād bhīṣmo rakṣitavyo viśeṣeṇeti me matiḥ ||
śikhaṇḍino vadhe yattāḥ sarve tiṣṭhantu māmakāḥ ||
tathā prācyāḥ pratīcyāś ca dākṣiṇātyottarāpathāḥ ||
sarvaśastrāstrakuśalās te rakṣantu pitāmaham ||
arakṣyamāṇaṃ hi vṛko hanyāt siṃhaṃ mahābalam ||
mā siṃhaṃ jambukeneva ghātayāmaḥ śikhaṇḍinā ||
vāmaṃ cakraṃ yudhāmanyur uttamaujāś ca dakṣiṇam ||
goptārau phalgunasyaitau phalguno 'pi śikhaṇḍinaḥ ||
saṃrakṣyamāṇaḥ pārthena bhīṣmeṇa ca vivarjitaḥ ||
yathā na hanyād gāṅgeyaṃ duḥśāsana tathā kuru ||
When the armies had been arrayed according to rule, Duryodhana, O great king, said to Duhshasana: "Duhshasana, let the chariots be swiftly yoked for the protection of Bhishma; rouse all the battle-lines at once. Now has come the meeting of the Pandavas with their armies and the Kurus, which I have pondered for years upon years. In this battle I know of no task more important than the protection of Bhishma: if he is guarded, he will slay the Parthas, the Somakas, and the Srinjayas. But that pure-souled one has said: 'I will not slay Shikhandin, for it is known that he was formerly a woman; therefore he is untouchable to me in battle.' Therefore, in my judgment, Bhishma must be protected with special care. Let all our men, intent on slaying Shikhandin, hold their positions; let the easterners, the westerners, the southerners, and the northerners, skilled in every weapon, guard the grandfather. For if a mighty lion is left unprotected, a wolf may slay him; let us not allow the lion to be destroyed by Shikhandin as though by a jackal. Yudhamanyu guards the left flank of Arjuna, Uttamaujas the right; both of them are protectors of Phalguna, and Phalguna in turn protects Shikhandin. Duhshasana, see to it that Shikhandin, guarded by the Partha and shunned by Bhishma, does not slay the son of Ganga."
0f0070551a3f · published Jul 17, 2026, 8:47:27 PM UTC
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Duryodhana understands Bhishma's vulnerability not as a weakness of strength but as a limit set by dharma: Bhishma will not strike Shikhandin. His military calculation reveals both the Kauravas' dependence on Bhishma and their inability to grasp that a righteous vow is not an ordinary tactical variable.