Shloka 60
पूर्ण मनोरथ होकर लौटे हुए अपने पुत्र शिखण्डीके साथ पांचालराज ट्रुपदने गन्ध- माल्य आदि नाना प्रकारके बहुमूल्य उपचारोंद्वारा देवताओं, ब्राह्मणों, चैत्य (पीपल आदि धार्मिक)-वृक्षों तथा चौराहोंका पूजन किया तथा बन्धु-बान्धवोंसहित उन्हें महान् हर्ष प्राप्त हुआ ।। शिष्यार्थ प्रददौ चाथ द्रोणाय कुरुपुड्भगव । शिखण्डिनं महाराज पुत्र स्त्रीपूर्विणं तथा,महाराज! कुरुश्रेष्ठ! ट्रपदने अपने पुत्र शिखण्डीको जो पहले कन्यारूपमें उत्पन्न हुआ था, द्रोणाचार्यकी सेवामें धनुर्वेदकी शिक्षाके लिये सौंप दिया
pūrṇa-manorathaḥ pratyāgataḥ svaputreṇa śikhaṇḍinā saha pāñcālarājas tu drupadaḥ gandha-mālyādi-nānāvidha-bahumūlyopacāraiḥ devatā brāhmaṇāṁś caitya-vṛkṣāṁś ca (aśvatthādi-dhārmikān) catuṣpathāṁś ca pūjayām āsa; bandhu-bāndhava-sahitaś ca mahān harṣam avāpa. śiṣyārthaṁ pradadau cātha droṇāya kuru-puṅgava, śikhaṇḍinaṁ mahārāja putraṁ strī-pūrvīṇaṁ tathā.
Bhīṣma said: Having returned with his son Śikhaṇḍin and his wishes fulfilled, King Drupada of Pāñcāla performed worship with many costly offerings—fragrances, garlands, and the like—honouring the gods, the brāhmaṇas, sacred trees (such as the holy fig), and the crossroads. Surrounded by kinsmen and friends, he felt great joy. Then, O best of the Kurus, Drupada entrusted Śikhaṇḍin—his child who had earlier been born in a female form—to Droṇa, so that he might be trained as a disciple in the science of archery.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links royal dharma with disciplined preparation: a king honours gods, Brahmins, and sacred public spaces, and also fulfils responsibility by placing a child under a qualified teacher for rigorous training. Ethical order is shown as both ritual reverence and practical education for future duty.
Drupada returns home with Shikhandin, celebrates with worship and offerings, and then formally entrusts Shikhandin—born earlier as a girl—to Drona for instruction in archery, setting up Shikhandin’s later role in the events leading to the Kurukshetra war.