Shikhandi's Story

Shikhandi's Story

Yudhisthira was astonished by the secrets his mother had revealed. He organized a party to attend to

the funereal rites of his vanquished brother Karna. And when the proper ceremonial rituals had been 

performed, the Pandavas gathered once again to go to the place where the great Bhishma still lay 

impaled on a bed of thousands of arrows.

Bhishma impaled.

They asked him to continue his narrative where he had left off. 

Bhishma began:

"Amba had renounced everything and had begun the most severe austerities, living only on fresh water and air. One day, the Lord Shiva, carrying his trident and riding a great bull, appeared before her. Lord Shiva asked her, “What would you have from me?” Amba, telling Lord Shiva her story, said, “As a woman, I have no longer any desire. I am, however, resolved to become a man and revenge myself on Bhiṣma.”     

"Shiva promised her..."

Finally, Shiva promised her, “You shall slay him, but not in this lifetime. You must build a fire and enter into it. In your next life you will remember all the sorrow that Bhiṣma caused you and you shall be born as a man. You shall be born as the son of Drupada and become a Maharatha, expert in the use of weapons. A fierce warrior, skilled in battle you shall cause the death of Bhiṣma.”     

"You shall cause the death of Bhishma..."

   

AMBA ENTERS THE FIRE

With these words, Shiva, disappeared from before Amba. Amba, heartened by his promise, and 

determined to carry out his orders built a large funeral pyre on the banks of the Yamuna River. 

Setting  fire to the wood, she watched it burn until the flames were hot and high. Calmly, her veins 

filled with the ice water of cold revenge, Amba entered into the heart of the fire and felt the flames 

licking higher and higher until she was consumed. As her rage burned with the fire, she screamed her 

final words as an earthly woman, “Death to Bhiṣma!”

"Death to Bhishma!"

And so it was that by dint of her great penances and austerities, and through the intercession of Lord 

Shiva, Amba was to take birth in a kshatriya family as a great warrior. 

Bhiṣma said, “Now When Droṇa had  defeated the King of Panchala with the help of you, his students helped by Arjuna, the Pandavas and Karna and Duryodhana and his brothers, he was overjoyed by his victory. "

At this time it would have been better for him to have killed his old friend and taken possession of the kingdom. It was true that Droṇa was a curious mixture of brahmaṇa culture and kshatriya power. Having conquered the kingdom of his friend, he rejoiced, but he really wished no injury to Drupada. All he really wanted was to be accepted by his old friend. So, when the Pandavas brought Drupada before him, bound as a prisoner, Droṇa said to the kneeling Drupada: “Now we are equals. I take from you half the kingdom. As we share an equal amount of kingdom, we are now equals and according to your logic, we can be friends.”

"Now we are true equals. Let us join hands in friendship."

Then cutting his bonds and freeing Drupada, Droṇa said, “Let us be friends.” He took his hand in friendship. Drupada also extended his hand in friendship and smiled, but inwardly, he was enraged. As soon as Droṇa and the Pandavas returned victorious to Hastinapura, 

Drupada began planning his revenge. He prayed for a son who could destroy and humiliate Droṇa. He knew my own downfall was key to the destruction of Drona, so he prayed for a child who would be my death. Later, he would become father to the fire-born Draupadi and Dristadyumna.

Drupada swore revenge against Drona and Bhishma

“And so it was that Drupada went to his wife, the Queen, saying, ‘O goddess, you shall be blessed. I have undergone great penances and austerities, worshiping Lord Shiva. Finally he told me that we shall have a child, who, first being born as a daughter, shall later become a man: A great warrior who will avenge us by becoming the destruction of Bhishma.

 In course of time that lady was with child and soon gave birth in secret to a daughter of great beauty, Shikhandini. 

Drupada kept the secret of his daughters birth and announced to the court and the kingdom that his wife, the Queen had given birth to a male child. He dressed the child as a boy and performed all the proper rituals prescribed for a male son.