STULKARNA GAVE HIS MANHOOD TO SIKHANDINI

Sikhandi: A female who turned into male

In the previous blog post, I have already explained in brief concerning how did magnificent warriors like Bhishma and Parashurama genuinely had a fight. Parashurama wished to help Amba and ordered his disciple Bhishma to accept her as his wife or else fight with him. However, Parashurama could not defeat Bhishma. Amba determined to emerge as someone who ought to be the sole cause for Bhishma's death.

Amba went to exercise rigorous penance and austerities. She quit consuming meals and for six months she did meditation in this way. she also did Tapa beneath the water without consuming anything at all. Bhishma used to know about her activities from some of his spies. Amba visited many divine Tirtha places like Nandashram, Ulukashram, Brahmastan, Prayag, Kaushikashram, Mandavyashram, Ramahrida, Gangashram and took bath there whilst doing fasting vrat. Ganga appeared there and asked her the reason behind such rigorous penance. After knowing about her Intention behind this, Ganga warned her that her purpose of killing Bhishma would by no means be fulfilled by way of this kind of fasting and Amba would end up being a croocked formed river that would have been crammed with water only in the rainy season.

After some months Amba grew to become a river, which appeared in a zigzag shape. To take a bath there, used to be hard for people. The river had water only in the course of the rainy season. Due to her fasting vrat, from half of her physique, she appeared river and from another half, she was born as a daughter in Vatshadesh. From childhood, she decided to perform austerities and requested other Ascetics no longer to cease her. 

Lord Shiva appeared in front of her and granted her wish by way of saying that, "in your next birth you will be born as a girl but later emerge as a male and be in a position to fulfill your wish of killing Bhishma." Then enraged Amba by way of taking an oath of killing Bhishma Jumped into a burning pyre made by her only and killed herself.

Please click below video in hindi 👇

Drupada; the king of Panchala was once meditating about getting a son those days. Lord Shiva seemed in front of him. Drupada requested him To bless him with a male child, not a female. Lord Shiva granted him having a female child first who would turn out to be a male. As per the boon, Drupada's spouse Prishati gave birth to A female toddler named Sikhandini whom they handled like their son and called him Sikhandi instead. She acquired maturity but didn't change to a male. Her mother and father were worried. However, having belief on Lord Shiva's assertion Drupada king had kept it as a secret and married her off to The daughter of Hiranyavarm.  Daughter of Hiranyavarma quickly understood Her husband being a female. Hiranyavarma was livid and decided to assault Drupada's kingdom and kill each Drupada and Sikhandi for lying to him like this.

Drupada's spouse Suggested her husband make preparations for protecting the kingdom as well as worship the deities. Seeing her parents struggling because of her, Sikhandini in a desire to leave her body went to the woodland and did fasting for many days in the place owned by Yaksha Stulkarna. Stulkarna became conscious Of the pathetic situation of Sikhandini regarding her lack of ability to defend his kingdom being a girl and out of sympathy the yaksha provided his manhood to Sikhandini for a limited time. Then sikhandini became a male and came back to Her father Drupada and defined him everything.

That time Hiranyavarma attacked the Panchala kingdom. King Drupada sent his dutas who confirmed Hiranyavarma about Sikhandi of being truly a male. Hiranyavarma later was assured of Sikhandi's gender by sending some of his Alluring female slaves near him. He was pleased with Sikhandi and provided many wealth, elephants, horses, cows, jewels. 

That time Yaksha Stulkarna actually needed to take back his manhood from Sikhandi, but could not do so. Being a lady she was feeling too shy to ask Sikhandi to return it back to him. Yaksha went to his ruller Kubera who after knowing about it, noted to him that, "Stulkarna! You have humiliated the entire yaksha clan by way of giving your manhood to become a female consequently, you will remain a woman forever!" 

Later as per the promise, Sikhandi went to the yaksha to return his manhood. But Yaksha as earlier ordered by His king Kubera asked Sikhandi to keep the manhood inside himself forever.

So this was how Sikhandini became Sikhandi. Sikhandi used to learn astravidya from Drona only. those days She used to gown up like a girl also. Though she turned into a man later, on the other hand, Bhishma knew that she used to be Amba, who was born as Sikhandi. Hence he determined not to raise his weapons or even look at Sikhandi's face during the Mahabharata war.

Ref: Mahabharata book

You can find out why Amba had decided to avenge Bhishma in the below post.

Read why Lord Parashurama asked Bhishma to marry Amba..