Shloka 40
यक्षा ऊचु. ट्रुपदस्य सुता राजन् राज्ञो जाता शिखण्डिनी । तस्या निमित्ते कर््मिंश्चित् प्रादात् पुरुषलक्षणम्
yakṣā ūcuḥ | drupadasya sutā rājan rājño jātā śikhaṇḍinī | tasyā nimitte karmiṃścit prādāt puruṣalakṣaṇam |
The Yakṣas said: “O King, Drupada’s child was born as Śikhaṇḍinī, a princess. But for her sake, someone performed an act by which the marks and attributes of a man were bestowed.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary interventions—framed as the result of a specific cause (nimitta)—can alter social and bodily identity, setting the stage for later ethical and martial consequences. It underscores the Mahābhārata’s theme that personal fate and public duty can be shaped by hidden acts and prior causes.
The Yakṣas explain to the king that Drupada’s child was born as Śikhaṇḍinī, but due to her situation, an unnamed agent performed an act that granted her male characteristics—an origin point for Śikhaṇḍī’s later role in the events leading to war.