Shloka 21
Bhaṅgāśvanopākhyāna — On comparative affection in strī–puruṣa union (भङ्गाश्वनोपाख्यानम्)
उस सरोवरमें उतरकर स्नान करते ही दैवने मुझे स्त्री बना दिया। अपनी स्त्रियों और मन्त्रियोंके नाम-गोत्र बताकर उन स्त्रीरूपधारी श्रेष्ठ नरेशने अपने पुत्रोंसे कहा--'पुत्रो! तुमलोग आपसमें प्रेमपूर्वक्क रहकर राज्यका उपभोग करो। अब मैं वनको चला जाऊँगा'
tasmin sarovare avatīrya snātvāiva daivena māṃ strī kṛtam. svāstrīṇāṃ mantriṇāṃ ca nāma-gotrāṇi nivedya strī-rūpa-dhārī sa śreṣṭho nṛpaḥ svaputrebhyaḥ provāca—“putrāḥ! yūyaṃ parasparaṃ premṇā saha vartamānā rājyaṃ bhuṅkṣvadhvam. adhunāhaṃ vanaṃ gamiṣyāmi.”
ເມື່ອຂ້ອຍລົງໄປໃນສະລອງນ້ຳນັ້ນ ແລະອາບນ້ຳພຽງຊົ່ວພິບຕາ ຊະຕາກຳກໍໄດ້ປ່ຽນຂ້ອຍໃຫ້ເປັນແມ່ຍິງ. ແລ້ວກະສັດຜູ້ປະເສີດນັ້ນ—ຜູ້ມີຮູບແມ່ຍິງໃນບັດນີ້—ໄດ້ແຈ້ງຊື່ແລະສາຍຕະກູນຂອງມະເຫສີ ແລະມະນະຕີທັງຫຼາຍ ແລ້ວກ່າວກັບລູກຊາຍວ່າ: «ລູກເອີຍ ຈົ່ງຢູ່ຮ່ວມກັນດ້ວຍຄວາມຮັກແພງ ແລະເສວຍສຸກຄອງອານາຈັກ. ສ່ວນພໍ່ ຈະໄປປ່າໃນບັດນີ້».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid extraordinary reversals brought by fate, the ruler’s duty is to secure orderly succession and social stability: he identifies legitimate relations and counselors, urges fraternal concord, and then embraces renunciation, showing restraint and prioritizing dharma over personal attachment.
After bathing in a lake, the narrator is transformed by fate into a woman. In that altered state, the king formally names his wives and ministers by lineage, instructs his sons to rule together in harmony, and announces his departure to the forest.