संबन्धकं चैव समर्थ्य तस्मिन्; दाशार्णके वै नृपतौ नरेन्द्र ॥
स्वयं कृत्वा विप्रलम्भं यथावन्; मन्त्रैकाग्रो निश्चयं वै जगाम ॥
स्वभावगुप्तं नगरम् आपत्काले तु भारत ॥
गोपयाम् आस राजेन्द्र सर्वतः समलंकृतम् ॥
आर्तिं च परमां राजा जगाम सह भार्यया ॥
दशार्णपतिना सार्धं विरोधे भरतर्षभ ॥
कथं संबन्धिना सार्धं न मे स्याद् विग्रहो महान् ॥
इति संचिन्त्य मनसा दैवतान्य् अर्चयत् तदा ॥
तं तु दृष्ट्वा तदा राजन् देवी देवपरं तथा ॥
अर्चां प्रयुञ्जानम् अथो भार्या वचनम् अब्रवीत् ॥
saṃbandhakaṃ caiva samarthya tasmin; dāśārṇake vai nṛpatau narendra ||
svayaṃ kṛtvā vipralambhaṃ yathāvan; mantraikāgro niścayaṃ vai jagāma ||
svabhāvaguptaṃ nagaram āpatkāle tu bhārata ||
gopayām āsa rājendra sarvataḥ samalaṃkṛtam ||
ārtiṃ ca paramāṃ rājā jagāma saha bhāryayā ||
daśārṇapatinā sārdhaṃ virodhe bharatarṣabha ||
kathaṃ saṃbandhinā sārdhaṃ na me syād vigraho mahān ||
iti saṃcintya manasā daivatāny arcayat tadā ||
taṃ tu dṛṣṭvā tadā rājan devī devaparaṃ tathā ||
arcāṃ prayuñjānam atho bhāryā vacanam abravīt ||
Having weighed the marriage alliance with the king of Dashārna and the deception he himself had practiced, Drupada, his mind fixed on counsel, came to a decision. In this time of danger, O Bharata, he set about guarding his city, which was naturally fortified and fully arrayed with defenses on every side. The king, together with his wife, fell into deep sorrow over the looming conflict with the lord of Dashārna, O best of the Bharatas. 'How may I avoid a great war with my kinsman by marriage?' — pondering thus in his mind, he then worshipped the gods. Seeing him, O king, devoted to the gods and performing worship, the queen, his wife, spoke these words.
d385fd95f1c9 · published Jul 17, 2026, 6:41:26 AM UTC
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This chapter turns Shikhandin's secret from a palace anxiety into a personal feat. The mother reveals the truth to Drupada: the lie arose from the fear of childlessness and rival wives, but it held only because of faith in Shiva's word. Drupada tries to join two levels of action — the human defense of the city and worship of the gods. Shikhandini, for her part, takes her parents' suffering upon herself and goes into the forest, where the possibility of a change of sex arises through a yaksha's grace. Amba's fate here becomes not an abstract curse but a concrete movement of compassion, shame, vow, and superhuman help.