युधिष्ठिरश् चोग्रबलो महात्मा; समाययौ त्वरितो जातकोपः ॥
मद्राधिपं समभित्यज्य संख्ये; स्वभागम् आप्तं तम् अनन्तकीर्तिः ॥
सार्धं स माद्रीसुतभीमसेनैर्; भीष्मं ययौ शांतनवं रणाय ॥
तैः संप्रयुक्तः स महारथाग्र्यैर्; गङ्गासुतः समरे चित्रयोधी ॥
न विव्यथे शांतनवो महात्मा; समागतैः पाण्डुसुतैः समस्तैः ॥
अथैत्य राजा युधि सत्यसंधो; जयद्रथो ऽत्युग्रबलो मनस्वी ॥
चिच्छेद चापानि महारथानां; प्रसह्य तेषां धनुषा वरेण ॥
युधिष्ठिरं भीमसेनं यमौ च; पार्थं तथा युधि संजातकोपः ॥
दुर्योधनः क्रोधविषो महात्मा; जघान बाणैर् अनलप्रकाशैः ॥
कृपेण शल्येन शलेन चैव; तथा विभो चित्रसेनेन चाजौ ॥
विद्धाः शरैस् ते ऽतिविवृद्धकोपैर्; देवा यथा दैत्यगणैः समेतैः ॥
छिन्नायुधं शांतनवेन राजा; शिखण्डिनं प्रेक्ष्य च जातकोपः ॥
अजातशत्रुः समरे महात्मा; शिखण्डिनं क्रुद्ध उवाच वाक्यम् ॥
उक्त्वा तथा त्वं पितुर् अग्रतो माम्; अहं हनिष्यामि महाव्रतं तम् ॥
भीष्मं शरौघैर् विमलार्कवर्णैः; सत्यं वदामीति कृता प्रतिज्ञा ॥
त्वया न चैनां सफलां करोषि; देवव्रतं यन् न निहंसि युद्धे ॥
मिथ्याप्रतिज्ञो भव मा नृवीर; रक्षस्व धर्मं च कुलं यशश् च ॥
प्रेक्षस्व भीष्मं युधि भीमवेगं; सर्वांस् तपन्तं मम सैन्यसंघान् ॥
शरौघजालैर् अतितिग्मतेजैः; कालं यथा मृत्युकृतं क्षणेन ॥
निकृत्तचापः समरानपेक्षः; पराजितः शांतनवेन राज्ञा ॥
विहाय बन्धून् अथ सोदरांश् च; क्व यास्यसे नानुरूपं तवेदम् ॥
दृष्ट्वा हि भीष्मं तम् अनन्तवीर्यं; भग्नं च सैन्यं द्रवमाणम् एवम् ॥
भीतो ऽसि नूनं द्रुपदस्य पुत्र; तथा हि ते मुखवर्णो ऽप्रहृष्टः ॥
आज्ञायमाने ऽपि धनंजयेन; महाहवे संप्रसक्ते नृवीर ॥
कथं हि भीष्मात् प्रथितः पृथिव्यां; भयं त्वम् अद्य प्रकरोषि वीर ॥
स धर्मराजस्य वचो निशम्य; रूक्षाक्षरं विप्रलापानुबद्धम् ॥
प्रत्यादेशं मन्यमानो महात्मा; प्रतत्वरे भीष्मवधाय राजन् ॥
yudhiṣṭhiraś cograbalo mahātmā; samāyayau tvarito jātakopaḥ ||
madrādhipaṃ samabhityajya saṃkhye; svabhāgam āptaṃ tam anantakīrtiḥ ||
sārdhaṃ sa mādrīsutabhīmasenair; bhīṣmaṃ yayau śāṃtanavaṃ raṇāya ||
taiḥ saṃprayuktaḥ sa mahārathāgryair; gaṅgāsutaḥ samare citrayodhī ||
na vivyathe śāṃtanavo mahātmā; samāgataiḥ pāṇḍusutaiḥ samastaiḥ ||
athaitya rājā yudhi satyasaṃdho; jayadratho 'tyugrabalo manasvī ||
ciccheda cāpāni mahārathānāṃ; prasahya teṣāṃ dhanuṣā vareṇa ||
yudhiṣṭhiraṃ bhīmasenaṃ yamau ca; pārthaṃ tathā yudhi saṃjātakopaḥ ||
duryodhanaḥ krodhaviṣo mahātmā; jaghāna bāṇair analaprakāśaiḥ ||
kṛpeṇa śalyena śalena caiva; tathā vibho citrasenena cājau ||
viddhāḥ śarais te 'tivivṛddhakopair; devā yathā daityagaṇaiḥ sametaiḥ ||
chinnāyudhaṃ śāṃtanavena rājā; śikhaṇḍinaṃ prekṣya ca jātakopaḥ ||
ajātaśatruḥ samare mahātmā; śikhaṇḍinaṃ kruddha uvāca vākyam ||
uktvā tathā tvaṃ pitur agrato mām; ahaṃ haniṣyāmi mahāvrataṃ tam ||
bhīṣmaṃ śaraughair vimalārkavarṇaiḥ; satyaṃ vadāmīti kṛtā pratijñā ||
tvayā na caināṃ saphalāṃ karoṣi; devavrataṃ yan na nihaṃsi yuddhe ||
mithyāpratijño bhava mā nṛvīra; rakṣasva dharmaṃ ca kulaṃ yaśaś ca ||
prekṣasva bhīṣmaṃ yudhi bhīmavegaṃ; sarvāṃs tapantaṃ mama sainyasaṃghān ||
śaraughajālair atitigmatejaiḥ; kālaṃ yathā mṛtyukṛtaṃ kṣaṇena ||
nikṛttacāpaḥ samarānapekṣaḥ; parājitaḥ śāṃtanavena rājñā ||
vihāya bandhūn atha sodarāṃś ca; kva yāsyase nānurūpaṃ tavedam ||
dṛṣṭvā hi bhīṣmaṃ tam anantavīryaṃ; bhagnaṃ ca sainyaṃ dravamāṇam evam ||
bhīto 'si nūnaṃ drupadasya putra; tathā hi te mukhavarṇo 'prahṛṣṭaḥ ||
ājñāyamāne 'pi dhanaṃjayena; mahāhave saṃprasakte nṛvīra ||
kathaṃ hi bhīṣmāt prathitaḥ pṛthivyāṃ; bhayaṃ tvam adya prakaroṣi vīra ||
sa dharmarājasya vaco niśamya; rūkṣākṣaraṃ vipralāpānubaddham ||
pratyādeśaṃ manyamāno mahātmā; pratatvare bhīṣmavadhāya rājan ||
Yudhishthira too, magnanimous and of terrible strength, came hastily, his anger roused. Leaving in battle the lord of the Madras, the share of the fight allotted to him, the boundlessly renowned king went, together with the sons of Madri and Bhimasena, against Bhishma, the son of Shantanu. Engaged by these finest maharathas, the son of Ganga, a skillful warrior, did not waver in battle, though all the sons of Pandu had fallen upon him together. Then King Jayadratha, true to his vow, exceedingly powerful and firm of mind, came up and with his excellent bow forcibly severed the bows of these maharathas. Duryodhana, magnanimous yet poisoned with wrath, struck Yudhishthira, Bhimasena, the twins, and Partha in battle with arrows blazing like fire; together with Kripa, Shalya, Shala, and Chitrasena, he wounded them with arrows, and their fury grew greatly, like that of the gods clashing with the hosts of the daityas. Seeing Shikhandin disarmed by Shantanava, the enraged Ajatashatru, the magnanimous king, said to him in battle: 'Before my father you took this vow: "I shall slay the great-vowed Bhishma with streams of arrows of pure sun-color; I speak the truth." Yet you do not make this vow bear fruit, since you do not slay Devavrata in battle. Do not become a breaker of your word, O hero of men; protect dharma, your lineage, and your honor. Look at Bhishma, of terrible swiftness in battle, who scorches all my massed troops with nets of arrow-streams of intensely searing force, like Kala bringing death in an instant. His bow cut down, indifferent to the fight, vanquished by King Shantanava, having abandoned kinsmen and brothers — where will you go? This does not befit you. Having seen Bhishma of boundless valor and our army broken and put to flight, you are surely afraid, son of Drupada; that is why your face has darkened. Though Dhananjaya himself bids you act, when the great battle has flared up, why then, hero renowned upon the earth, do you show fear before Bhishma today?' Having heard this harsh speech of the Dharmaraja, full of reproach, the magnanimous Shikhandin took it as a command and hastened to slay Bhishma, O king.'
92e1e043c96b · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:46:24 PM UTC
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Yudhishthira speaks harshly here because what is at stake is not vanity but duty and a given word. Shikhandin is meant to become the instrument that turns the battle, and the Dharmaraja reminds him that a vow binds a warrior no less than his weapon.