The Sanskrit Epics

by Delphi Classics

  SECTION CXC

  “‘BHISHMA SAID, “THEN all those ascetics (that dwell in Vatsabhumi), beholding the princess of Kasi firmly resolved on ascetic austerities, dissuaded her and enquired of her, saying, ‘What is thy business?’ Thus addressed, the maiden answered those ascetics, old in ascetic penances, saying, ‘Expelled I have been by Bhishma, prevented by him from the virtue that would have been mine by living with a husband! My observance of this vow is for his destruction and not for the sake of regions of bliss, ye that are endued with wealth of asceticism! Having compassed the death of Bhishma, peace will be mine. Even this is my resolve. He for whom mine hath been this state of continuous grief, he for whom I have been deprived of the region that would have been mine if I could obtain a husband, he for whom I have become neither woman nor man, without slaying in battle that son of Ganga I will not desist, ye that are endued with wealth of asceticism. Even this that I have said is the purpose that is in my heart. As a woman, I have no longer any desire. I am, however, resolved to obtain manhood, for I will be revenged upon Bhishma. I should not, therefore, be dissuaded by you.’ Unto them she said these words repeatedly. Soon, the divine lord of Uma, bearing the trident, showed himself in his own form unto that female ascetic in the midst of those great Rishis. Being asked to solicit the boon she wished, she begged of the deity my defeat. ‘Thou shalt slay him,’ — were the words the god said unto that lady of great force of mind. Thus assured, the maiden, however, once more said unto Rudra, ‘How can it happen, O god, that being a woman I shall yet be able to achieve victory in battle. O lord of Uma, as a woman, my heart is quite stilled. Thou hast, however, promised me, O lord of creatures, the defeat of Bhishma. O lord, having the bull for thy mount, act in such a way that promise of thine may become true, that encountering Bhishma, the son of Santanu, in battle I may be able to slay him.’ The god of gods, having the bull for his symbol, then said unto that maiden, ‘The words I have uttered cannot be false. O blessed lady, true they will be. Thou shalt slay Bhishma, and even obtain manhood. Thou shalt also remember all the incidents (of this life) even when thou shalt obtain a new body. Born in the race of Drupada, thou shalt become a Maharatha. Quick in the use of weapons and a fierce warrior, thou shalt be well-skilled in battle. O blessed lady, all that I have said will be true. Thou shalt become a man at the expiration of sometime (from thy birth)!’ Having said so, the god of gods, called also Kapardin, having the bull for his symbol, disappeared then and there, in the very sight of those Brahmanas. Upon this, that faultless maiden of the fairest complexion, the eldest daughter of the king of Kasi, procuring wood from that forest in the very sight of those great Rishis, made a large funeral pyre on the banks of the Yamuna, and having set fire to it herself, entered that blazing fire, O great king, with a heart burning with wrath, and uttering, O king, the words,—’(I do so) for Bhishma’s destruction!’”’”

  SECTION CXCI

  “‘DURYODHANA SAID, “TELL me, O grandsire, how Sikhandin, O Ganga’s son, having before been born a daughter, afterwards became a man, O foremost of warriors.”

  “‘Bhishma said, “O great king, the eldest and beloved queen of king Drupada was, O monarch, childless (at first). During those years, king Drupada, O monarch, paid his adoration to the god Sankara for the sake of offspring, resolving in his mind to compass my destruction and practising the austerest of penances. And he begged Mahadeva, saying, ‘Let a son, and not a daughter, be born unto me. I desire, O god, a son for revenging myself upon Bhishma.’ Thereupon, that god of gods said unto him, ‘Thou shalt have a child who will be a female and male. Desist, O king, it will not be otherwise.’ Returning then to his capital, he addressed his wife, saying, ‘O great goddess, great hath been the exertion made by me. Undergoing ascetic austerities, I paid my adorations to Siva, and I was told by Sambhu that my child becoming a daughter (first) would subsequently become a male person. And though I solicited him repeatedly, yet Siva said,— “This is Destiny’s decree. It will not be otherwise. That which is destined must take place!”’ Then that lady of great energy, the queen of king Drupada, when her season came, observing all the regulations (about purity), approached Drupada. And in due time the wife of Prishata conceived, agreeably to Destiny’s decree, as I was informed, O king, by Narada. And that lady, of eyes like lotus-petals, continued to hold the embryo in her womb. And, O son of Kuru’s race, the mighty-armed king Drupada, from paternal affection, attended to every comfort of that dear wife of his. And, O Kaurava, the wife of that lord of earth, the royal Drupada, who was childless, had all her wishes gratified. And in due time, O monarch, that goddess, the queen of Drupada, gave birth to a daughter of great beauty. Thereupon, the strong-minded wife of that king, the childless Drupada, gave out, O monarch, that the child she had brought forth was a son. And then king Drupada, O ruler of men, caused all the rites prescribed for a male child to be performed in respect of that misrepresented daughter, as if she were really a son. And saying that the child was a son, Drupada’s queen kept her counsels very carefully. And no other man in the city, save Prishata, knew the sex of that child. Believing these words of that deity of unfading energy, he too concealed the real sex of his child, saying, — She is a son. And, O king, Drupada caused all the rites of infancy, prescribed for a son, to be performed in respect of that child, and he bestowed the name of Sikhandin on her. I alone, through my spies and from Narada’s words, knew the truth, informed as I previously was of the words of the god and of the ascetic austerities of Amva!”’”

  SECTION CXCII

  “‘BHISHMA SAID, “DRUPADA, O chastiser of foes, bestowed great attention on everything in connection with that daughter of his, teaching her writing and painting and all the arts. And in arrows and weapons that child became a disciple of Drona. And the child’s mother, of superior complexion, then urged the king (her husband) to find, O monarch, a wife for her, as if she were a son. Then Prishata, beholding that daughter of his to have attained the full development of youth and assured of her sex began to consult with his queen. And Drupada said, ‘This daughter of mine that so enhanceth my woe, hath attained her youth. Concealed, however, she hath hitherto been by me at the words of the trident-bearing deity!’ The queen replied, ‘That, O great king, can never be untrue! Why, indeed, would the Lord of the three worlds say that would not occur? If it pleases thee, O king, I will speak, and listen to my words, and, O son of Prishata’s race, having listened to me, follow thy own inclination! Let the wedding of this child with a wife be caused to be performed carefully. The words of that god will be true. This is my certain belief!’ Then that royal couple, having settled their resolution of that affair, chose the daughter of the king of the Dasarnakas as their son’s wife. After this, the royal Drupada, that lion among kings, having enquired about the purity of descent, of all the rulers of the earth, selected the daughter of the king of Dasarnakas for wife to Sikhandin. He, who was called the king of the Dasarnakas was named Hiranyavarman; and he gave away his daughter to Sikhandin. And Hiranyavarman, the king of the Dasarnakas, was a powerful monarch, incapable of being easily vanquished. Incapable of being resisted, that high-souled monarch possessed a large army. And sometimes after the wedding, the daughter of Hiranyavarman, O best of monarchs, attained her youth while the daughter of Drupada also had attained hers. And Sikhandin, after marriage, came back to Kampilya. And the former soon came to know that the latter was a woman like herself. And the daughter of Hiranyavarman, having ascertained that Sikhandin was really a woman, bashfully represented unto her nurses and companions everything about the so-called son of the king of the Panchalas. Then, O tiger among kings, those nurses of the Dasarnakas country were filled with great grief and sent emissaries unto their king. And those emissaries represented unto the king of the Dasarnakas everything about the imposture that had taken place. And, thereupon, the king of the Dasarnakas was filled with wrath. Indeed, O bull of the Bharata race, Hiranyavarman, hearing the news after the expiry of a few days was much afflicted with wrath. The rul
er of the Dasarnakas then, filled with fierce wrath, sent a messenger to Drupada’s abode. And the messenger of king Hiranyavarman, having alone approached Drupada, took him aside and said unto him in private, ‘The king of the Dasarnakas, O monarch, deceived by thee and enraged, O sinless one, at the insult thou hast offered him, hath said these words unto thee, — Thou hast humiliated me! Without doubt it was not wisely done by thee! Thou hadst, from folly, solicited my daughter for thy daughter! O wicked one, reap now the consequence of that act of deception. I will now slay thee with all thy relatives and advisers! Wait a little!’”’”

  SECTION CXCIII

  “‘BHISHMA SAID, “THUS addressed, O king, by that messenger, king Drupada, like a thief caught (in the act), could not speak. He exerted himself greatly, by sending sweet-speeched emissaries with his own instruction to them, saying, — This is not so, — in order to pacify his brother. King Hiranyavarman, however, ascertaining once again, that the child of the king of the Panchalas was really a daughter, issued out of his city without losing any time. He then sent messages unto all his powerful friends about that deception practised on his daughter, of which he had heard from her nurses. Then, that best of kings, having mustered a large army, resolved, O Bharata, to march against Drupada. Then, O monarch, king Hiranyavarman held a consultation with his ministers about the ruler of the Panchalas. And it was settled among those high-souled kings that if, O monarch, Sikhandin was really a daughter, they should bind the ruler of the Panchalas and drag him from his city, and installing another king over the Panchalas they should slay Drupada with Sikhandin. Taking that to be the fixed resolution (of all whom he had summoned) king Hiranyavarman once more sent an envoy to the descendant of Prishata, saying ‘I will slay thee, be calm.”’

  “‘Bhishma continued, “King Drupada was not naturally courageous. In consequence, again, of that offence of his, he became filled with fear. Sending his envoys again to the ruler of the Dasarnakas, king Drupada, afflicted with grief, approached his wife and took counsel with her. And possessed with great fright and with heart afflicted with grief, the king of the Panchalas said unto his favourite wife, the mother of Sikhandin, these words, ‘My powerful brother, king Hiranyavarman, having mustered a large force, is coming towards me in anger. Fools that we both are, what are we now to do in respect of this our daughter? Thy son, Sikhandin, hath been suspected to be a daughter. Under this suspicion, Hiranyavarman with his allies and followed by his army wisheth to slay me thinking that he hath been deceived by me! O thou of beautiful hips, tell us now what is true or false in this, O beautiful lady! O blessed lady, hearing from thee first, I will settle how to act. I am very much endangered and this child, Sikhandin, also is equally so. Indeed, O queen, O lady of the fairest complexion, thou too art threatened with danger! For the relief of all, tell me who asketh thee what the truth is! O thou of beautiful hips and sweet smiles, hearing what thou hast to say I shall act suitably. Although I have been deceived by thee as to the duties I owe towards a son, yet, O beautiful lady, from kindness I will act towards you both in a suitable manner. Therefore, do not fear, nor let this daughter of thine fear anything. Indeed, I have deceived the king of the Dasarnakas. Tell me, O highly blessed lady, how may I act towards him so that all may yet turn up well!’ Indeed, although the king knew everything, yet he addressed his wife in the presence of others in this way, to proclaim his own innocence before others. His queen then answered him in the following words.”’”

  SECTION CXCIV

  “‘BHISHMA SAID, “THEN, O mighty-armed king, Sikhandin’s mother represented unto her lord the truth about her daughter, Sikhandin. And she said, ‘Childless, O great king, as I was, from fear of my co-wives, when Sikhandini, my daughter, was born, I represented unto you that it was a son! For thy love of me, thou also hadst corroborated it, and, O bull among kings, thou hadst performed all the rites prescribed for a son in respect of this daughter of mine! Thou then didst marry her, O king, to the daughter of the king of the Dasarnakas. I also approved of this act, remembering the words of the (great) god! Indeed, I did not prevent it, remembering the words of Siva,— “Born a daughter, she will become a son!”’ Hearing all this, Drupada, otherwise called Yajnasena, informed all his counsellors of these facts. And, O monarch, the king then took counsel with ministers for the proper protection of his subjects (from the would-be invader). Although he had himself deceived the king of the Dasarnakas, yet giving it out that the alliance he had made was proper, he began to settle his plans with undivided attention. King Drupada’s city was, O Bharata, naturally well-protected. Yet at the advent of danger, O monarch, they began to protect it all the more carefully and fortify it (with defensive works). The king, however, with his queen, was greatly afflicted, thinking of how a war might not take place with his brother. Reflecting on this, he began to pay his adorations to the gods. His respected wife, beholding him relying on the god and paying his adorations to them, than addressed him, O king, and said, ‘Homage to the gods is productive of benefits! It is, therefore, approved by the righteous. What shall I say, again, of those that are sunk in an ocean of distress? Therefore, pay homage to those that are thy superiors and let all the gods also be worshipped, making large presents the while (unto the Brahmanas)! Let oblations be poured on the fire for pacifying the ruler of the Dasarnakas. O lord, think of the means by which, without a war, thou mayst be able to pacify thy brother! Through the grace of the gods all this will happen. For the preservation of this city, O thou of large eyes, thou hast taken counsel with thy ministers. Do all, O king, that those counsels seem to indicate, for reliance on the gods, when supported by human exertion, always, O king, leadeth to success. If these two do not go hand-in-hand, success becometh unattainable. Therefore, with all thy advisers, make such arrangements in thy city as are proper, and pay homage, O monarch, as thou pleasest, to the gods.’ While husband and wife were conversing with each other thus, both filled with grief, their helpless daughter, Sikhandini, was filled with shame. She then reflected, saying, ‘It is for me that these two are plunged into grief!’ Thinking so, she resolved upon putting an end to her own life. Having formed this determination, she left home, filled with heavy sorrow, and went into a dense and solitary forest that was the haunt, O king, of a very formidable Yaksha called Sthunakarna. From fear of that Yaksha men never went into that forest. And within it stood a mansion with high walls and a gateway, plastered over with powdered earth, and rich with smoke bearing the fragrance of fried paddy. Entering that mansion, Sikhandini, the daughter of Drupada, O king, began to reduce herself by foregoing all food for many days. Thereupon, the Yaksha named Sthuna, who was endued with kindness, showed himself unto her. And he enquired of her, saying, ‘For what object is this endeavour of thine? I will accomplish it, tell me without delay!’ Thus asked, the maiden answered him, repeatedly saying, ‘Thou art unable to accomplish it!’ The Guhyaka, however, rejoined, without a moment’s delay, saying, ‘Accomplish it I will! I am a follower of the Lord of treasures, I can, O princess, grant boons! I will grant thee even that which cannot be given! Tell me what thou hast to say!’ Thus assured, Sikhandini represented in detail everything that had happened, unto that chief of Yakshas called Sthunakarna. And she said, ‘My father, O Yaksha, will soon meet with destruction. The ruler of the Dasarnakas marcheth against him in rage. That king eased in golden mail is endued with great might and great courage. Therefore, O Yaksha, save me, my mother, and my father! Indeed, thou hast already pledged thyself to relieve my distress! Through thy grace, O Yaksha, I would become a perfect man! As long as that king may not depart from my city, so long, O great Yaksha, show me grace, O Guhyaka!’”’”