Shikhandi ( sa, शिखण्डी, translit=Śikhaṇḍī) is a character in the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

epic

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the K ...

. Born as the daughter of Drupada, the King of Panchala, Shikhandi becomes a biological male after agreeing to a sex exchange with a

yaksha The yakshas ( sa, यक्ष ; pi, yakkha, i=yes) are a broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, but sometimes mischievous or capricious, connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness. They appear in ...

. He is the brother of

Draupadi Draupadi ( sa, द्रौपदी, draupadī, Daughter of Drupada), also referred to as Krishnaa, Panchali, and Yagyaseni, is the main female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata,'' and the common consort of the five Pandava brothe ...

, the female protagonist of the epic, who is the common wife of the

Pandavas The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledge ...

. Shikhandi, whose natal female identity is sometimes rendered Shikhandini, is the reincarnation of

Amba Amba or AMBA may refer to: Title * Amba Hor, alternative name for Abhor and Mehraela, Christian martyrs * Amba Sada, also known as Psote, Christian bishop and martyr in Upper Egypt Given name * Amba, the traditional first name given to the fir ...

, a princess who was abducted, and later spurned by

Bhishma Bhishma ( Sanskrit: भीष्‍म, , ), also known as Pitamaha, Gangaputra, and Devavrata, played an integral role in Mahabharata. He was the supreme commander of the Kaurava forces during the Kurukshetra War mentioned in the Hindu epi ...

. The prince fights in the

Kurukshetra War The Kurukshetra War ( sa, कुरुक्षेत्र युद्ध ), also called the Mahabharata War, is a war described in the ''Mahabharata ( sa, महाभारत )''. The conflict arose from a dynastic succession struggle be ...

on the side of his brothers-in-law, the Pandavas, and is instrumental in causing the death of Bhishma. He also engages in combat with great warriors like

Ashwatthama In the Hindu epic the ''Mahabharata'', Ashwatthama ( sa, अश्वत्थामा, Aśvatthāmā) or Drauni was the son of guru Drona and Kripi (sister of Kripacharya). He was the grandson of the sage Bharadwaja. Ashwatthama ruled th ...

, Kripa, and Kritavarma. In Javanese wayang tradition, Shikhandi is known as Srikandi and is born as a male, and changes into a female. She becomes the second wife of the Pandava brother

Arjuna Arjuna (Sanskrit: अर्जुन, ), also known as Partha and Dhananjaya, is a character in several ancient Hindu texts, and specifically one of the major characters of the Indian epic Mahabharata. In the epic, he is the third among Panda ...

, Draupadi being the first.

Legend

Previous birth

In the majority of the versions of the Mahabharata,Sorabji, Cornelia, and Warwick Goble. Shikhandi: The Maiden-knight and Other Stories. Bombay: Blackie and Son, 1916. Print. Shikhandi is described as being a princess named Amba in his previous birth. Amba was the eldest daughter of the King of Kashi. Along with her sisters,

Ambika Ambika may refer to: Mythology * Ambika (goddess), an avatar of the Hindu goddesses Durga, Parvati, and Shakti * Ambika (Jainism), a Jain Yakshini goddess * Ambika (Mahabharata), the wife of Vichitravirya was also the mother of Dhritarashtra, th ...

and

Ambalika Ambalika () is a princess featured in the Mahabharata. The youngest daughter of Kashya, the King of Kashi, and Kausalya, she is abducted by Bhishma during her svayamvara ceremony, and becomes the wife of Vichitravirya, the King of Hastinap ...

, she was abducted from their

svayamvara Svayamvara ( sa, स्वयंवर, svayaṃvara, translit-std=IAST), in ancient India, was a method of marriage in which a woman chose a man as her husband from a group of suitors. In this context, in Sanskrit means 'self' and means ' ...

. After defeating several kings, including King Salva, Bhishma returned to Hastinapura with the princesses, and presented them as brides to his younger half-brother, Vichitravirya, the king. Before her wedding ceremony could commence, Amba told Bhishma that she had fallen in love with the King of Salva, and was not ready to marry anyone else. Hearing this from her, Bhishma sent Amba with grandeur to her desired husband. However, Salva rejected her, stating that as Bhishma had bested him at the svayamvara, he regarded him to be her rightful husband. Amba returned to Bhishma and demanded that he marry her according to

Kshatriya Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the co ...

dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

, but Bhishma declined, due to his vow of celibacy. Lamenting her misfortune, the princess decided to retire to the forest and practise austerities for the remainder of her life. As she wandered, she came across an ashrama, and informed the sages within of her plight. One of the sages happened to be maternal grandfather, Hotravahana, who sympathised with her state of mind, and told her that

Parashurama Parashurama (), also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Veerarama, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. He is believed to be one of the ''Chiranjeevis'' (Immortals), who will app ...

, Bhishma's martial guru, would come to her aid. Parashurama visited Hastinapura, and commanded his disciple to marry Amba. Bhishma refused to obey him, once again citing his vow. Furious, Parashurama engaged in a terrible duel against Bhishma on the field of Kurukshetra for twenty-three days, employing

astras Astras (Greek: Αστράς) is a mountainous village of the Elis region in West Greece. It became part of the municipal unit of Lampeia on January 1, 2011. Lampeia belongs to the municipality of Ancient Olympia. A local government plan, Kapodist ...

, but was unable to best him. He regretfully informed Amba of his failure to change his mind. The princess spent twelve years engaged in severe austerities, which scorched the heavens themselves. Shiva appeared to grant her a boon of her choice, and she solicited the death of Bhishma. Shiva told Amba that she would be born as a girl who would later become a man in her next life, and become a

maharathi Maharathi may refer to: * Maharathi (warrior) Hindu mythological wars are the wars described in the Hindu texts of ancient India. These wars depicted both mortals of great prowess as well as deities and supernatural beings, often wielding s ...

who would slay Bhishma in battle. Overjoyed, the princess lit a funeral pyre, prayed for the death of Bhishma, and self-immolated. According to an iteration by C. Rajagopalachari, she resorted to a penance and received a garland of blue lotuses from the god

Kartikeya Kartikeya ( sa, कार्त्तिकेय, Kārttikeya), also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha (), and Murugan ( ta, முருகன்), is the Hindu god of war. He is the son of Parvati and Shiva, the brother of Ganesh ...

, and it was foretold that anyone wearing the garland would become the cause of Bhishma's death. She went to the Panchala, as it were a mighty empire known for its military prowess. However, no one was willing to champion her cause, fearful of antagonising Bhishma. Amba, in anger, hung the garland on the gates of King Drupada and left in agony.

Sex exchange

Due to his childlessness, King Drupada propitiated Shiva, who told the king that a girl would be born to him, who in due course, would become a man. When Shikhandi was born to Drupada's queen, she was raised and dressed as a boy. When Shikhandi reached the traditional age of maturity, Drupada decided to offer her hand in marriage to the daughter of Hiranyavarman, the King of Dasharna. Shikhandi's wife soon realised that her husband was not a man, and Hiranyavarman soon caught wind of this information. Outraged, he sent a messenger to Drupada to determine the truth, and started preparations for war with the latter. Drupada insisted that Shikhandi was indeed a man. Distressed by her parents' suffering, Shikhandi left the city, deciding to fast to death. She found a forest that humans were terrified to enter, because it was inhabited by a

named Stunakarna. She entered the premises of the yaksha, and started to perform austerities. When Stunakarna enquired regarding her practices, Shikhandi told him her tale. Feeling compassionate, the yaksha offered to exchange his sex with her for a certain period of time, to which Shikhandi agreed. Shikhandi returned to his father as a man, and informed him of this incident. Relieved, Drupada invited Hiranyavarman to send envoys to inspect the manhood of his son. A number of beautiful women were dispatched by Hiranyavarman to Drupada, who confirmed Shikhandi's manhood. Thus, the two kings were able to renew their peace. When Kubera visited Stunakarna's premises, the yaksha did not greet him due to her female form. Angered, Kubera cursed the yaksha, stating that the sex exchange that had been performed would be permanent. When the yaksha begged Kubera to lift the curse, the latter told her that she would regain her true sex after the death of Shikhandi.

Kurukshetra War

Before the

Bhima In Hindu epic Mahabharata, Bhima ( sa, भीम, ) is the second among the five Pandavas. The '' Mahabharata'' relates many events that portray the might of Bhima. Bhima was born when Vayu, the wind god, granted a son to Kunti and Pandu. ...

opts for Shikandi to be the commander-in-chief of the Pandava army, as he was born to kill Bhishma, but

and

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is on ...

prefer Dhrishtadyumna instead. Shikandi is made the commander of one of the seven akshauhinis of the Pandava army. On the first day of the war, Shikhandi confronts

, and both warriors wound each other several times, before withdrawing from the battle. On the seventh day of the war, he confronts Ashwatthama again, and manages to wound him on the forehead. However, an enraged Ashwatthama destroys his chariot, and wounds him badly. Luckily,

Satyaki Yuyudhana ( sa, युयुधान, '), better known as Satyaki ( sa, सात्यकि, ), was a powerful Yadava chieftain of Narayani Sena, belonging to the Vrishni clan to which Krishna also belonged. According to the Puranas, he was ...

comes to his rescue. On the night of the ninth day of battle, after a decisive defeat, the

and

visit

Yudhishthira ''Yudhishthira'' ( Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, IAST: ''Yudhiṣṭhira'') is the eldest among the five Pandava brothers. He is mentioned in the ancient epic Mahabharata. He was sired by King Pandu of the Kuru Dynasty and his fir ...

urges the grandsire to tell them how he may be slain, to prevent the devastating loss of Kshatriya lives. Bhishma informs them that it was impossible for him to be vanquished while he wielded arms; However, he would refuse to fight Shikhandi, since he was originally a woman, and Arjuna may vanquish him when he lays down his arms. So, in the next day's fight, Shikhandi rides with

, placed in the forefront of the Pandava forces. Numerous warriors of the Kaurava army attempt to stop the pair from reaching Bhishma. However, with the assault of the warriors of the

Pandava The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledge ...

army, Arjuna and Shikhandi push through, and reach Bhishma. Riding behind Shikhandi,

attacks Bhishma with a devastating volley of hundreds of arrows, the latter is unable to counter, with Shikhandi in the way. Bhishma falls from his chariot and his role in the war ends, giving up his life on the auspicious Uttaryana. On the twelfth day of the war, Shikkandi’s only son, Kshatradeva, is killed by Duryodhana’s son, Lakshmana Kumara. On the night of fourteenth day, Shikandi is defeated by

Kripacharya Kripa ( sa, कृप, Kṛpa, pity), also known as Kripacharya ( sa, कृपाचार्य, Kṛpācārya, Kripa the master), is a figure in Hindu mythology. According to the epic ''Mahabharata'', he was a council member of Kuru Kingdo ...

and is wounded on the sixteenth day, and faints when Kritavarma's arrow pierces his armour. After the death of Shalya, Shikandi greatly destroys the retreating Kaurava army on the seventeenth day of the war. Shikhandi, along with the Upapandavas, are killed by Ashwatthama on the 18th day of the war. Dazed, Shikhandi is killed in a sword fight with

when

, and Kritavarma attacked the Pandava camp at night. According to Devdutt Pattanaik, Ashwatthama kills Shikhandi's lover in front of him; in other versions, it is Shikhandi's partner who is butchered.Pattanaik, Devdutt. Shikhandi and Other Tales They Don't Tell You. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print

References

External links

Summary and Complete translation of MahabharataOn Shikhandini's life
book by Ashwini Shenoy
Shikhandini
{{HinduMythology Characters in the Mahabharata Androgynous characters in Mahabharata