Shloka 12
Bhaṅgāśvanopākhyāna — On comparative affection in strī–puruṣa union (भङ्गाश्वनोपाख्यानम्)
अपनेको स्त्रीरूपमें देखकर राजाको बड़ी लज्जा हुई। उनके सारे अन्तःकरणमें भारी चिन्ता व्याप्त हो गयी। उनकी इन्द्रियाँ और चेतना व्याकुल हो उठीं ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | ārohiṣye kathaṁ tv aśvaṁ kathaṁ yāsyāmi vai puram | iṣṭenāgniṣṭutā cāpi putrāṇāṁ śatam aurasam ||
毗湿摩说道：国王见自己成了女身，羞惭难当。沉重的忧虑弥漫其心，诸根与觉知皆纷乱不安。他思忖道：“如今我如何还能乘马？如何还能入城？我依仪轨奉行阿耆尼什图特祭（Agniṣṭut），得百名勇猛亲生之子——我将对他们说什么？我又如何能在诸妃之前、在城中百姓与乡野民众之间现身？”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how a ruler’s sense of dharma is intertwined with social role and public accountability: inner turmoil arises when one’s outward identity no longer fits expected duties (riding, appearing in court, addressing heirs). It also underscores the weight of ritual and lineage—merit gained through sacrifice and the responsibility toward one’s children and subjects become sources of ethical pressure, not mere pride.
Bhishma narrates that the king, transformed into a woman, feels intense shame and anxiety. She worries about practical and social consequences—how to ride a horse, enter the city, face her wives and the people, and especially how to speak to the hundred sons she had previously obtained through the Agniṣṭut sacrifice.