Shloka 17
अम्बायाः तपोदीक्षा–रुद्रवर–आत्मदाहः
Amba’s Ascetic Vow, Rudra’s Boon, and Self-Immolation
शिखण्ड्यपि महाराज पुंवद् राजकुले तदा । विजहार मुदा युक्तः स्त्रीत्वं नैवातिरोचयन्,महाराज! शिखण्डी भी उस राजपरिवारमें पुरुषकी ही भाँति आनन्दपूर्वक घूमता- फिरता था। उसे अपना स्त्रीत्व अच्छा नहीं लगता था
śikhaṇḍy api mahārāja puṁvad rājākule tadā | vijahāra mudā yuktaḥ strītvaṁ naivātirocayan ||
O great king, even then Śikhaṇḍī, dwelling in that royal household, moved about joyfully like a man, taking no delight at all in a woman’s condition.
दुपद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical-narrative point about inner disposition versus outward social role: Śikhaṇḍī’s self-understanding and conduct are described as masculine within a royal setting, foreshadowing later dharma-conflicts where personal identity, social perception, and wartime duty intersect.
Drupada is recounting Śikhaṇḍī’s life in the royal household, emphasizing that Śikhaṇḍī lived and moved about like a man and did not take pleasure in being regarded as female—details that prepare the audience for Śikhaṇḍī’s later role in the events leading to Bhīṣma’s fall.