Shloka 125
Duḥṣantasya Vana-praveśaḥ
King Duḥṣanta’s Entry into the Forest Hunt
शिखण्डी द्रुपदाज्जज्ञे कन्या पुत्रत्वमागता । यां यक्ष: पुरुषं चक्रे स्थूण: प्रियचिकीर्षया
śikhaṇḍī drupadāj jajñe kanyā putratvam āgatā | yāṃ yakṣaḥ puruṣaṃ cakre sthūṇaḥ priyacikīrṣayā ||
ダーシャは語った。ドルパダ王からシカンディーは娘として生まれたが、のちに息子として見なされるようになった。スートゥーナ（Sthūṇa）という名のヤクシャが、彼女に恩恵を施そうとして、彼女を男に変えたのである。この挿話は、宿命と超常の働きが社会的な身分・性の認識をも変えうることを示し、後の道義と戦の帰結への伏線となる。
दाश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unforeseen forces—here a yakṣa’s intervention—can alter a person’s social role and identity, thereby shaping later ethical and historical outcomes. It invites reflection on the limits of human control, the complexity of dharma in lived circumstances, and how intentions (priyacikīrṣā) can have far-reaching consequences.
Dāśa recounts Śikhaṇḍī’s origin: born to King Drupada as a daughter, she later becomes a son because the yakṣa Sthūṇa transforms her into a man out of goodwill. This background explains Śikhaṇḍī’s later role in the epic’s unfolding conflicts.