The grandsire explained to Duryodhana that the eight Brahmins who had aided him were none other than the Vasus—Apa, Dhruva, Soma, Dhara, Anila, Anala, Pratyusha, and Prabhasa. In ancient times, he himself had been one among them, but through the curse of Vasishta all were born to Ganga and were freed at once, while he alone remained mortal, burdened with an immense responsibility to the world. Though he was blessed by Parasurama and honored by the celestial realms, his mind was ever troubled by Amba and the course of her actions.
One day he confided in sage Narada, saying that he lived in constant fear of Amba and sought to know what path lay open before him. Narada replied that he should not grieve, for the decree of the gods cannot be reversed by human effort, and that he should abandon sorrow and anxiety. Then Narada related to him the story of the princesses of Kashi and of Amba’s unrelenting penance. She had wandered to many divine hermitages, adopting severe disciplines, and had even approached sage Vishwamitra to seek his blessings. She practiced austerities beyond the endurance of ordinary women.
One day Ganga herself went to her and asked why she undertook such harsh rituals, unfitting and difficult for a woman, and what purpose drove her. Amba replied that she had been humiliated by Bhishma and that in her next life she sought the power to kill him, and for that purpose she had embraced penance. Ganga then said that her conduct was crooked, that she should discard her body and flow as a river, for beyond this she could do nothing. Amba merely smiled and paid no heed. She intensified her austerities, and while dwelling in the kingdom of Matsya, half of the merit of her penance flowed away as a river through that land by Ganga’s divine command, while she retained the other half to preserve her form. Thus she defied Ganga’s order and remained Amba by the sheer force of her penance, partly victorious even over her own mother.
Amba continued to dwell in hermitages, performing severe rites, until Sankara, pleased by her devotion, appeared before her with kindness and affection and invited her to ask for a boon. To the astonishment of the assembled sages, she joyfully and eagerly requested the power to eliminate Bhishma. Parameswara granted her wish. When she asked how this would come to pass, Sankara said that she must discard her present form and be born as the first female child to King Drupada, later becoming a son, renowned as Sikhandi, endowed with great strength, wealth, mastery of weapons, and excellence in archery. With the pride of power, he would slay Bhishma in battle, and these words would come true in due course, provided she exercised patience. Having thus spoken, the god departed, and on that very day, to the amazement of the sages, Amba entered the blazing fire, declaring with her final words that she would kill Bhishma.
At that time King Drupada was performing penance to Shiva, seeking a child to remove the grief of his queen Kokila, and he bore vengeance against Bhishma. Shiva appeared and asked his desire, and Drupada requested a son who would kill Bhishma. The Lord said that he would have a daughter who would later transform into a son and slay Bhishma in war, and then vanished. The king joyfully narrated the boon to his queen, and by Shiva’s blessing, the subtle form of Amba entered her, and she gave birth to a daughter. The king announced to his people that a son was born, performed all the rites of a boy, and raised the child as a son under the name Sikhandi, explaining the reason for secrecy to the child.
Sikhandi was trained by Dronacharya in all royal arts and in archery. When the girl attained puberty, the parents grew anxious and resolved to arrange her marriage to a worthy match, trusting that the boon of Lord Isvara would not be futile and that manhood would come in due time. They married Sikhandi to the daughter of King Hemavarma of Dasarna. The bride, being perceptive, observed Sikhandi and understood the secret, which filled her with grief. She kept it to herself and behaved as though ignorant, but in a moment of weakness, she confided in her maid, who swiftly informed the king of Dasarna.
The king, consumed with anger and sorrow, sent an envoy to Drupada, who spoke in humiliating tones, accusing him of deceit in marrying his daughter to their princess, calling the act atrocious and deserving of severe punishment, and asking what he had gained by such wrongdoing except disgrace. He warned Drupada that Hemavarma was a terror to his enemies and that he had inflicted deep pain through his strange conduct. He further insulted him by declaring that his so-called son was bereft of manhood and challenged Drupada to prove his own valor in battle. Drupada smiled and said that the envoy had been misinformed, asserting that they would never act so foolishly as to marry a daughter to a prince, and with skillful and gentle speech he convinced him and dismissed him without giving further opportunity to argue.
The envoy, however, presented the matter differently to his king, who invaded Drupada’s kingdom with a fourfold army. Drupada, stricken with sorrow at this unavoidable insult, remained behind in tears, while both armies prepared for battle, awaiting the dawn. Sikhandi, seeing no option but death, slipped into the deep forest at midnight, a wilderness ruled by the Yaksha prince Sthulakarna, desolate and forbidden to humans because of his fierce presence. Sikhandi entered the forest intending to die at the Yaksha’s hands and went to his palace. The Yaksha asked why she sought her own death and offered to relieve her grief if she would explain it. She told him the whole truth, and he said that this was a matter that could be resolved. He offered to exchange his manhood for her womanhood for ten days, instructing her to appear as a man before the king of Dasarna and to return without fail on the tenth day, while he himself would assume her form for that period.
Sikhandi returned to her chambers and stood before her parents with folded hands, recounting all that had occurred in the forest. They praised her for her sacrifice. At daybreak, Drupada sent a Brahmin to fetch his brother-in-law, who, without hesitation, verified that Sikhandi was a man, was impressed, and extended a grand reception. The king of Dasarna then apologized for the accusations he had made against Sikhandi and returned to his kingdom.
At that time Kubera came roaming for pleasure in the forest of Sthulakarna and was surprised that the Yaksha prince did not come to greet him. Angered, he declared that the prince had exceeded all bounds of decorum and had grown so arrogant as to ignore his king. His Kinnara guards went inside and learned the story of Sthulakarna, and informed Kubera that the prince was burdened with shame and unable to appear before him, saying that even if he had become a woman, it was of no consequence and that he should be summoned. Sthulakarna came forth, saluted with folded hands, and apologized for his conduct.
Kubera, contemplating future events, decreed that Sthulakarna would remain a woman. The Yaksha prince wailed and fell at Kubera’s feet, and his attendants also prayed for mercy. Kubera modified his command, declaring that Sthulakarna would remain a woman only as long as Sikhandi lived, and would regain his form after Sikhandi’s death, and then departed for Alakapuri. Sthulakarna, though grieved, was later pleased when Sikhandi returned faithfully on the appointed day, and told him that there was no fault in him, that he should return home and remain a man for the rest of his life, for this form had been divinely granted. He also narrated Kubera’s curse in detail.
Sikhandi returned and informed his parents of all that had occurred in the forest. He performed rituals, worshipped the gods, and was placed once more under Dronacharya for extraordinary training. Narada and Vyasa were also present there, and through them the story of Sikhandi became known to the world.
The grandsire concluded that the princes of Kashi had become to him as the lords of death, yet by his oath he would not fight or kill a woman, nor one born a woman or bearing a woman’s name, even if that person had assumed the form of a man. Sikhandi was born a woman and became a man, and whatever provocation he might offer, Bhishma would not strike him nor resist him, for to do so would violate his oath and bring dishonor. He declared that he might die, but he would never break his vow.
Duryodhana listened attentively, deeply moved, and said that only such a great man could fulfill such a severe oath at the cost of his own life. The son of Ganga knew of his destined death and took no precautions, for Narada’s words still rang in his ears that the decree of the gods cannot be reversed by human effort. Duryodhana reflected that he could trust the son of Ganga and sought to devise a strategy to save him from the known death ordained through Sikhandi.
