Shloka 21
भीष्मरक्षण-प्रकरणम् / The Protective Screen around Bhīṣma and the Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Clash
पूर्व हि स्त्री समुत्पन्ना शिखण्डी राजवेश्मनि । वरदानात् पुमाञ्जात: सैषा वै स्त्री शिखण्डिनी
pūrva hi strī samutpannā śikhaṇḍī rājaveśmani | varadānāt pumāñ jātaḥ saiṣā vai strī śikhaṇḍinī ||
શિખંડી પહેલાં રાજભવનમાં સ્ત્રીરૂપે જન્મ્યો હતો; પછી વરદાનથી પુરુષ થયો—એથી મારી દૃષ્ટિએ તો એ શિખંડિની જ છે.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how social-ethical judgments in the epic can hinge on origin, identity, and perception. Sañjaya frames Śikhaṇḍī’s legitimacy in battle through the fact of female birth, implying an ethical tension: outward role may change by boon, yet moral evaluation may still be anchored in prior status.
Sañjaya explains to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Śikhaṇḍī was originally born as a woman in the royal household and later became male through a boon. This clarification supports the surrounding war narrative where Śikhaṇḍī’s presence is crucial to how Bhīṣma is confronted, since Bhīṣma is traditionally described as unwilling to fight a woman.