Shloka 21
भीष्मरक्षण-प्रकरणम् / The Protective Screen around Bhīṣma and the Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Clash
पूर्व हि स्त्री समुत्पन्ना शिखण्डी राजवेश्मनि । वरदानात् पुमाञ्जात: सैषा वै स्त्री शिखण्डिनी,“शिखण्डी पहले राजभवनमें स्त्रीके रूपमें उत्पन्न हुआ था; फिर वरदानसे पुरुष हो गया, अतः मेरी दृष्टिमें तो यह स्त्रीरूपा शिखण्डिनी ही है
pūrva hi strī samutpannā śikhaṇḍī rājaveśmani | varadānāt pumāñ jātaḥ saiṣā vai strī śikhaṇḍinī ||
شکھنڈی پہلے شاہی محل میں عورت کے روپ میں پیدا ہوا تھا؛ پھر ایک ور کے اثر سے مرد بن گیا—اس لیے میری نگاہ میں یہ شکھنڈنی ہی ہے۔
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how social-ethical judgments in the epic can hinge on origin, identity, and perception. Sañjaya frames Śikhaṇḍī’s legitimacy in battle through the fact of female birth, implying an ethical tension: outward role may change by boon, yet moral evaluation may still be anchored in prior status.
Sañjaya explains to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Śikhaṇḍī was originally born as a woman in the royal household and later became male through a boon. This clarification supports the surrounding war narrative where Śikhaṇḍī’s presence is crucial to how Bhīṣma is confronted, since Bhīṣma is traditionally described as unwilling to fight a woman.