Shloka 45
Drupada’s Alarm and Inquiry Regarding Śikhaṇḍinī (द्रुपदस्य भय-विमर्शः)
त॑ शशापाथ संक्रुद्धो धनद: कुरुनन्दन । एवमेव भवत्वद्य स्त्रीत्वं पापस्य गुह्ुका:
taṁ śaśāpātha saṁkruddho dhanadaḥ kurunandana | evam eva bhavatv adya strītvaṁ pāpasya guhūkaḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: Dhanada (Kubera), wahai kebanggaan kaum Kuru, murka lalu melontarkan sumpah: “Biarlah demikian! Mulai hari ini, akibat kejahatanmu—wahai Guhūka—hendaklah engkau menjadi seorang wanita!”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights karmic-ethical retribution: wrongdoing (pāpa) invites a proportionate consequence, and even the powerful are subject to moral order (dharma).
Bhīṣma narrates that Kubera (Dhanada), angered by an offense, curses the offender named Guhūka, decreeing an immediate transformation into a woman as the result of the misdeed.