अर्जुन उवाच
शिखण्डी निधनं कृष्ण भीष्मस्य भविता ध्रुवम् ॥
दृष्ट्वैव हि सदा भीष्मः पाञ्चाल्यं विनिवर्तते ॥
ते वयं प्रमुखे तस्य स्थापयित्वा शिखण्डिनम् ॥
गाङ्गेयं पातयिष्याम उपायेनेति मे मतिः ॥
अहम् अन्यान् महेष्वासान् वारयिष्यामि सायकैः ॥
शिखण्ड्य् अपि युधां श्रेष्ठो भीष्मम् एवाभियास्यतु ॥
श्रुतं ते कुरुमुख्यस्य नाहं हन्यां शिखण्डिनम् ॥
कन्या ह्य् एषा पुरा जाता पुरुषः समपद्यत ॥
संजय उवाच
इत्य् एवं निश्चयं कृत्वा पाण्डवाः सहमाधवाः ॥
शयनानि यथास्वानि भेजिरे पुरुषर्षभाः ॥
arjuna uvāca
śikhaṇḍī nidhanaṃ kṛṣṇa bhīṣmasya bhavitā dhruvam ||
dṛṣṭvaiva hi sadā bhīṣmaḥ pāñcālyaṃ vinivartate ||
te vayaṃ pramukhe tasya sthāpayitvā śikhaṇḍinam ||
gāṅgeyaṃ pātayiṣyāma upāyeneti me matiḥ ||
aham anyān maheṣvāsān vārayiṣyāmi sāyakaiḥ ||
śikhaṇḍy api yudhāṃ śreṣṭho bhīṣmam evābhiyāsyatu ||
śrutaṃ te kurumukhyasya nāhaṃ hanyāṃ śikhaṇḍinam ||
kanyā hy eṣā purā jātā puruṣaḥ samapadyata ||
saṃjaya uvāca
ity evaṃ niścayaṃ kṛtvā pāṇḍavāḥ sahamādhavāḥ ||
śayanāni yathāsvāni bhejire puruṣarṣabhāḥ ||
Arjuna said: "Shikhandin, Krishna, will surely become the cause of Bhishma's death. For every time Bhishma so much as sees this prince of Panchala, he turns away. Therefore, placing Shikhandin before him, we shall bring down the son of Ganga by this means — such is my thought. I will hold back the other great bowmen with my arrows, and let Shikhandin, best among warriors, advance straight upon Bhishma. You have heard from the chief of the Kurus: 'I will not kill Shikhandin, for he was born a girl long ago and afterward became a man.'" Sanjaya said: "Having made this decision, the Pandavas together with Madhava, these bulls among men, each went to his own resting place."
05a5cc283347 · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:55:41 PM UTC
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A decision has been found, but it carries no air of triumph. The night ends with a clear plan: Shikhandin will stand before Bhishma, Arjuna will take on the rest, and the next day will bring the fulfillment of a heavy dharma.