Shloka 10
Bhaṅgāśvanopākhyāna — On comparative affection in strī–puruṣa union (भङ्गाश्वनोपाख्यानम्)
अथ पीतोदकं सोश्व॑ वृक्षे बद्ध्वा नृपोत्तम: । अवगाहा ततः स्नातत्तत्र स्त्रीत्वमवाप्तवान्
atha pītodakaṃ so’śvaṃ vṛkṣe baddhvā nṛpottamaḥ | avagāhya tataḥ snātaḥ tatra strītvaṃ avāptavān ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Depois que o cavalo bebeu até se fartar, o melhor dos reis amarrou-o a uma árvore. Então ele próprio entrou na água; e, assim que ali se banhou, transformou-se e alcançou a condição de mulher.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the unpredictability of embodied life and the power of place, fate, or karmic consequence to bring sudden change; the ethical implication is to remain grounded in dharma and self-restraint even when circumstances overturn one’s expected identity or status.
A king, after tying his horse to a tree once it has drunk water, enters the water himself; upon bathing there, he is immediately transformed and attains womanhood.