Shloka 1
Ambā’s Vow of Tapas after Paraśurāma’s Assessment (अम्बाया तपोव्रतनिश्चयः)
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्ा भारत उद्योगपर्वके अन्तर्गत अम्बोपाख्यानपर्वमें अग्बाका अग्निमें प्रवेशविषयक एक सौ सत्तासीवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ ॥/ १८७ ॥। अपने-आप छा अर: 2 अष्टा शीर्त्याधिकशततमोब् ध्याय: अम्बाका 3326 28 पदके यहाँ कन््याके रूपमें जन्म, राजा तथा रानीका पदक प्रसिद्ध करके उसका नाम | शेखण्डी रखना दुर्योधन उवाच कथं शिखण्डी गाड़्ेय कन्या भूत्वा पुरा तदा । पुरुषो5 भूद् युधिश्रेष्ठ तन्मे ब्रूहि पितामह,दुर्योधनने पूछा--समरश्रेष्ठ गंगानन्दन पितामह! शिखण्डी पहले कन्यारूपमें उत्पन्न होकर फिर पुरुष कैसे हो गया, यह मुझे बताइये
duryodhana uvāca | kathaṁ śikhaṇḍī gāṅgeya kanyā bhūtvā purā tadā | puruṣo 'bhūd yudhiśreṣṭha tan me brūhi pitāmaha ||
Duryodhana nói: “Hỡi Gāṅgeya, con của sông Gaṅgā, thưa ông nội, bậc anh hùng bậc nhất nơi chiến địa—vì sao Śikhaṇḍī, vốn sinh ra là con gái, về sau lại trở thành đàn ông? Xin hãy nói cho ta biết.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic inquiry: understanding the causes behind a person’s condition and role in war. It points to the Mahābhārata’s ethical emphasis that present outcomes—especially those shaping conflict—are rooted in prior actions and complex destinies, inviting careful discernment rather than superficial judgment.
At the start of the Ambā episode, Duryodhana addresses Bhīṣma and asks how Śikhaṇḍī, said to have been born female, later became male. This question introduces the backstory that will explain Śikhaṇḍī’s identity and significance in the events leading toward the Kurukṣetra war.