Shloka 12
Bhaṅgāśvanopākhyāna — On comparative affection in strī–puruṣa union (भङ्गाश्वनोपाख्यानम्)
अपनेको स्त्रीरूपमें देखकर राजाको बड़ी लज्जा हुई। उनके सारे अन्तःकरणमें भारी चिन्ता व्याप्त हो गयी। उनकी इन्द्रियाँ और चेतना व्याकुल हो उठीं ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | ārohiṣye kathaṁ tv aśvaṁ kathaṁ yāsyāmi vai puram | iṣṭenāgniṣṭutā cāpi putrāṇāṁ śatam aurasam ||
ビーマは語った。王は女の姿となった己を見て、深い恥に沈んだ。重い憂いが心の隅々まで満ち、感官と意識は騒ぎ立った。彼は思った。「いまや、どうして馬にまたがれよう。どうして都へ赴けよう。正しく執り行ったアグニシュトゥト祭（Agniṣṭut）によって、我が身より生まれた勇猛なる百人の実子を得たというのに——彼らに何と言えばよいのか。后妃たちの中へ、また都と郷里の人々の中へ、どうして姿を現せようか。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how a ruler’s sense of dharma is intertwined with social role and public accountability: inner turmoil arises when one’s outward identity no longer fits expected duties (riding, appearing in court, addressing heirs). It also underscores the weight of ritual and lineage—merit gained through sacrifice and the responsibility toward one’s children and subjects become sources of ethical pressure, not mere pride.
Bhishma narrates that the king, transformed into a woman, feels intense shame and anxiety. She worries about practical and social consequences—how to ride a horse, enter the city, face her wives and the people, and especially how to speak to the hundred sons she had previously obtained through the Agniṣṭut sacrifice.