Shloka 51
Bhaṅgāśvanopākhyāna — On comparative affection in strī–puruṣa union (भङ्गाश्वनोपाख्यानम्)
पुरुषत्वं कथं त्यक्त्वा स्त्रीत्वं चोदयसे विभो | एवमुक्त: प्रत्युवाच स्त्रीभूतो राजसत्तम:
puruṣatvaṃ kathaṃ tyaktvā strītvaṃ codayase vibho | evam uktaḥ pratyuvāca strībhūto rājasattamaḥ ||
Bhishma dit : «Ô puissant, comment peux-tu, après avoir renoncé à la condition d’homme, pousser (ou t’obstiner) à la condition de femme ?» Ainsi interpellé, le plus éminent des rois—désormais changé en femme—répondit.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse introduces an ethical question about abandoning one’s prior social/bodily identity and deliberately maintaining another; it invites reflection on intention, duty (dharma), and the justification for an unusual life-choice.
Bhishma narrates a scene where a powerful figure (contextually Indra) questions a king who has become a woman about why he has given up manhood and persists in womanhood; the transformed king is about to explain his reasons.