Shloka 8
Drupada’s Alarm and Inquiry Regarding Śikhaṇḍinī (द्रुपदस्य भय-विमर्शः)
भीष्म उवाच इत्युक्त्वा समयं तत्र चक्राते तावुभौ नृप । अन्यो<न्यस्याभिसंदेहे तौ संक्रामयतां ततः
bhīṣma uvāca | ity uktvā samayaṃ tatra cakrāte tāv ubhau nṛpa | anyo'nyasyābhisandehe tau saṃkrāmayatāṃ tataḥ |
Bhīṣma disse: “Ó rei, tendo assim falado, ambos ali firmaram um pacto mútuo. Em seguida, com a intenção de se trocarem um com o outro, fizeram ocorrer uma transferência—cada qual passando ao outro a sua própria natureza sexual.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the binding force of a samaya (solemn agreement) and the ethical weight of intentional action: once a pledge is made, the parties act to fulfill it, even through extraordinary means, underscoring responsibility to one’s word and the consequences such commitments set in motion.
After speaking, the two parties conclude a mutual pact and then carry out an exchange—each causes their own sexual nature to be transferred to the other—setting up the later narrative role of Shikhaṇḍin in the events leading to the Kurukṣetra war.