Shloka 49
Bhaṅgāśvanopākhyāna — On comparative affection in strī–puruṣa union (भङ्गाश्वनोपाख्यानम्)
वरं च वृणु राजेन्द्र यं त्वमिच्छसि सुव्रत । पुरुषत्वमथ स्त्रीत्वं मत्तो यदभिकाडुक्षते
varaṁ ca vṛṇu rājendra yaṁ tvam icchasi suvrata | puruṣatvam atha strītvam matto yad abhikāṅkṣate ||
Bhishma said: “O best of kings, O you of excellent vows, choose also a boon—whatever you desire. Do you wish to become a man again, or do you wish to remain a woman? Ask of me what your heart longs for.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical agency and the honoring of vows: a righteous elder offers a boon without coercion, emphasizing that one should choose according to one’s true desire and disciplined commitment (suvrata), rather than social pressure.
Bhishma addresses a king respectfully and offers an additional boon, explicitly presenting a choice between returning to manhood or remaining in womanhood, indicating a situation involving a prior transformation and the possibility of reversal through a granted boon.