Shloka 47
Drupada’s Alarm and Inquiry Regarding Śikhaṇḍinī (द्रुपदस्य भय-विमर्शः)
अप्रवृत्तं सुदुर्बुद्धे यस्मादेतत् त्वया कृतम् तस्मादद्य प्रभृत्येव स्त्री त्वं सा पुरुषस्तथा
apravṛttaṁ sudurbuddhe yasmādetat tvayā kṛtam tasmād adya prabhṛtyeva strī tvaṁ sā puruṣas tathā
Bhīṣma disse: «Ó mente perversa, já que cometeste este ato impróprio, desde este dia em diante tu permanecerás mulher, e aquele permanecerá homem.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Actions judged as contrary to accepted dharma and social propriety are portrayed as bringing binding consequences; the narrative frames moral disorder as something that must be corrected through sanction, even if the correction itself is severe.
A Yaksha has exchanged sex with Śikhaṇḍī; the Yaksha-king condemns this as an improper act and decrees that the Yaksha will remain female while Śikhaṇḍī will remain male—an etiological explanation for Śikhaṇḍī’s later role in the war narrative.