Shloka 126
आदि पर्व, अध्याय 67 — गान्धर्वविवाह-समयः
Duḥṣanta–Śakuntalā: Gandharva Marriage and Succession Condition
अन्नेर्भागं तु विद्धि त्वं धृष्टद्युम्न॑ं महारथम् । शिखण्डिनमथो राजन स्त्रीपूर्व विद्धि राक्षमम्,महाराज! महारथी धृष्टद्युम्नको तुम अग्निका भाग समझो। शिखण्डी राक्षसके अंशसे उत्पन्न हुआ था। वह पहले कन्यारूपमें उत्पन्न होकर पुनः पुरुष हो गया था
agner bhāgaṃ tu viddhi tvaṃ dhṛṣṭadyumnaṃ mahāratham | śikhaṇḍinam atho rājan strīpūrvaṃ viddhi rākṣasam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Know that the great chariot-warrior Dhṛṣṭadyumna is a portion of Agni. And know, O king, that Śikhaṇḍin is of rākṣasa origin—one who was formerly born as a woman and later became a man.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames key warriors as shaped by extraordinary origins—divine (Agni’s portion) and rākṣasa-linked with a gender transition—suggesting that destiny and cosmic forces stand behind human roles in the coming conflict, and that identity in the epic can be complex and transformative.
Vaiśampāyana identifies the origins of two major fighters: Dhṛṣṭadyumna is described as a manifestation/portion of Agni, while Śikhaṇḍin is described as having rākṣasa origin and as someone who was first born female and later became male.