Shloka 9
स्त्रीलिडूं धारयामास स्थूणायक्षो5थ भारत । यक्षरूपं च तद् दीप्तं शिखण्डी प्रत्यपद्यत,भीष्मजी कहते हैं--नरेश्वर! इस प्रकार बात करके उन्होंने परस्पर प्रतिज्ञा कर ली तथा उन दोनोंने एक-दूसरेके शरीरमें अपने-अपने पुरुषत्व और स्त्रीत्वका संक्रमण करा दिया। भारत! स्थूणाकर्ण यक्षने उस शिखण्डिनीके स्त्रीत्वको धारण कर लिया और शिखण्डिनीने यक्षका प्रकाशमान पुरुषत्व प्राप्त कर लिया
strīliṅgaṁ dhārayāmāsa sthūṇāyakṣo 'tha bhārata | yakṣarūpaṁ ca tad dīptaṁ śikhaṇḍī pratyapadyata ||
Bhīṣma said: “O Bhārata, thereafter the Yakṣa named Sthūṇa assumed the female sex; and Śikhaṇḍī, in turn, obtained that radiant Yakṣa-form—i.e., the male nature. Thus, by mutual pledge, each took on the other’s bodily identity.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the binding force of a pledged promise and the far-reaching consequences of actions taken to fulfill vows. It also frames bodily identity as something that can be altered through extraordinary means, yet remains ethically charged because it is undertaken to meet social and dharmic pressures that later shape the course of war.
After a mutual agreement, the Yakṣa Sthūṇa (Sthūṇākarṇa) takes on Śikhaṇḍinī’s female identity, while Śikhaṇḍī receives the Yakṣa’s radiant male nature/form. This exchange establishes Śikhaṇḍī’s male status, which becomes crucial in the later events involving Bhīṣma.