Shloka 15
Ambā’s Vow of Tapas after Paraśurāma’s Assessment (अम्बाया तपोव्रतनिश्चयः)
ततः स राजा द्रुपद: प्रच्छन्नाया नराधिप,नरेन्द्र! इसके बाद राजा द्रपदने छिपाकर रखी हुई उस कन्याके सभी संस्कार पुत्रके ही समान कराये। द्रुपदकी रानीने सब प्रकारका प्रयत्न करके इस रहस्यको गुप्त रखनेकी व्यवस्था की। वह उस कन्याको पुत्र कहकर ही पुकारती थी। सारे नगरमें केवल द्रुपदको छोड़कर दूसरा कोई नहीं जानता था कि वह कन्या है
tataḥ sa rājā drupadaḥ pracchannāyā narādhipa, narendra! itas param rājā drupadena chāditāyāḥ kanyāyāḥ sarve saṃskārāḥ putrasyaiva samāḥ kāritāḥ. drupadasya rājñyā sarvaprakāraṃ yatnena etad rahasyaṃ gopayituṃ vyavasthā kṛtā. sā tāṃ kanyāṃ putra iti eva sambodhayati sma. nagare sarvatra drupadaṃ vinā anyaḥ kaścid api na jānāti sma yat sā kanyā iti.
Wika ni Bhishma: “Pagkaraan nito, O panginoon ng mga tao, ipinagawa ni Haring Drupada ang lahat ng mga ritwal at pagdaraan-sa-yugto para sa nakatagong bata, na gaya na gaya ng para sa isang anak na lalaki. Ang reyna ni Drupada ay nagsikap sa lahat ng paraan upang manatiling lihim ang bagay na ito. Tinatawag niya ang batang babae bilang ‘anak na lalaki’ lamang. Sa buong lungsod, maliban kay Drupada mismo, walang sinuman ang nakaaalam na ang bata ay sa katotohanan ay isang anak na babae.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how royal households may manipulate social identity and ritual status to protect dynastic aims and public order. It raises ethical tension between truthfulness and perceived necessity: secrecy is maintained to secure a future political-religious objective, while the queen’s role shows deliberate management of reputation and lineage through saṃskāra and public speech.
Bhishma narrates that Drupada’s hidden daughter is publicly treated as a son: all rites are performed as for a male child, the queen consistently calls the child 'son,' and the secret is kept from everyone in the city except Drupada.