Shloka 13
अम्बायाः तपोदीक्षा–रुद्रवर–आत्मदाहः
Amba’s Ascetic Vow, Rudra’s Boon, and Self-Immolation
कृतदार: शिखण्डी च काम्पिल्यं पुनरागमत् | ततः सा वेद तां कनन््यां कज्चित् काल स्त्रियं किल
kṛtadāraḥ śikhaṇḍī ca kāmpilyaṃ punar āgamat | tataḥ sā veda tāṃ kanyāṃ kaścit kālaḥ striyaṃ kila |
Nachdem die Eheschließung vollzogen war, kehrte Śikhaṇḍī zusammen mit seiner Gattin nach Kāmpilya zurück. Nach einiger Zeit erkannte die junge Frau die Wahrheit: Śikhaṇḍī war in Wirklichkeit eine Frau. Die Begebenheit macht die ethische Spannung sichtbar, die entsteht, wenn soziale Riten unter Verheimlichung vollzogen werden, und wie diese Verheimlichung unweigerlich Vertrauen, eheliche Pflicht und königliche Verantwortung auf die Probe stellt.
दुपद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that actions performed under concealment—especially in socially binding rites like marriage—create ethical tension and instability. Truth, trust, and responsibility (of individuals and kings) become central, and hidden realities tend to surface, forcing a reckoning with dharma.
Śikhaṇḍī, now married, returns with his wife to Kāmpilya. After some time, the bride realizes that Śikhaṇḍī is actually a woman (Śikhaṇḍinī by birth), setting up the ensuing conflict and the need for resolution.