Mahabharata · 5.193.66
॥
Devanāgarī
संजय उवाच
एतच् छ्रुत्वा तु कौरव्यो राजा दुर्योधनस् तदा ॥
मुहूर्तम् इव स ध्यात्वा भीष्मे युक्तम् अमन्यत ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
saṃjaya uvāca
etac chrutvā tu kauravyo rājā duryodhanas tadā ||
muhūrtam iva sa dhyātvā bhīṣme yuktam amanyata ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
संजयsaṃjayaSanjaya; the narrator Sanjaya
उवाचuvācasaid; spoke
एतच्etacthis; this very
छ्रुत्वाchrutvāhaving heard; having listened
तुtuindeed; but
कौरव्योkauravyothe Kaurava; descendant of Kuru
राजाrājāking; sovereign
दुर्योधनस्duryodhanasDuryodhana; King Duryodhana
तदाtadāthen; at that time
मुहूर्तम्muhūrtama moment; a brief while
इवivaas if; like
सsahe; this one
ध्यात्वाdhyātvāhaving pondered; having reflected
भीष्मेbhīṣmeabout Bhishma; concerning Bhishma
युक्तम्yuktamfitting; correct
अमन्यतamanyatadeemed; considered
Translation
Sanjaya said: 'Having heard this, King Duryodhana, the descendant of Kuru, then pondered as if for a moment and deemed Bhishma's words fitting.'
Version
4ac0663e6bb4 · published Jul 17, 2026, 6:41:26 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
This chapter completes the story of Shikhandin: Amba's fate takes effective form through a temporary exchange of sex with the yaksha Sthuna. The yaksha's favor saves Drupada from war and makes Shikhandin a man, but that favor comes at a price — Kubera punishes Sthuna for the unauthorized breach of order. Bhishma learned all this from his spies, and so sees in Shikhandin not an ordinary warrior but the former Amba, born for his destruction. His refusal to fight one who had been a woman becomes not weakness but the continuation of his own vow and the boundary of dharma that he does not cross even in battle.