Mahabharata/Jaya - Story of Shikhandi

"Bring Shikhandi to the forefront and fight. If faced by Shikandi, I will abort all my weapons.I have vowed that I will not raise arms against a woman. That Panchala was born a woman and then became a man. She is Amba from previous birth. At that time, have Arjuna strike me with his arrows. Let him strike me from every side with his arrows." Thus spoke Bhishma to Yuddhisthira and his brothers who had come to seek counsel on how to kill Bhishma. 


The Pandavas went to the enemy camp and entered Bhishma's tent who was happy to see them. Pandavas greeted him with respect as prescribed. Then Yuddhisthira says, "We will not win this war as long as you are fighting this war. You had blessed me to be victorious but it looks like your blessing will go futile. If you want me to be victorious, please let us know how to vanquish you." This is when Bhishma instructs them to use Shikandi as a shield. 


Story of Amba is actually recounted in the Mahabharata earlier. I thought of placing it here as it looked appropriate. 
http://greatlittlewarrior.blogspot.in/2011/11/mahabharata-amba-ambika-and-ambalika.html


After deserted by Shalva and Bhishma, Amba decides that Bhishma is the main culprit for her situation. She goes to a hermitage and tells the sages her story. Those sages advise her to go back to Kashi (her father's residence). Amba rejects this suggestion reasonating that she will be disrespected. She cofirms that she would like to perform austerities so that she does not get any more bad fortune. This is when a sage Hotravahana (He is Amba's maternal grandfather who was a king and then later retired to be a sage) comes to the hermitage. He listens to her story and consoles her by advising, "Go to Parashurama who is Bhishma's guru. If Bhishma does not listen, then Parashurama will kill him". At that time Akritvrana (Parshuram's follower) arrives there. He asks Amba if she wants to be married to Bhishma or wants him to be killed. Amba chooses the latter. The next day Parashurama comes there. Amba and the others narrate her story to him. Parashurama confirms that he only fights to protect those who are learned about the brahman. Parashuram offers to speak to Bhishma or Shalva for marriage but Amba demands killing Bhishma. After some convincing from Amba and Akritvrana, Parashurama agrees to fight Bhishma if he does not listen to him. 


Parashurama sends for Bhishma who obliges by coming to the forest. Parashurama instructs Bhishma to take Amba back to Vichitraveerya but Bhishma refuses to do so. He states that Amba had confessed that she loves Shalva and hence, Vichitraveerya does not want to marry her. Parashurama then instructs Bhishma to marry Amba. Bhishma refuses that too by stating his terrible vow as the reason. Parashurama is angered with Bhishma's disobedience and orders Bhishma to fight with him. Reluctantly, Bhishma agrees to this wish of his guru. They fight for 24 days at the end of which Parashurama stops the fight. He admits that Bhishma cannot be vanquished. Amba then takes upon herself to kill Bhishma. She performs lots of penances. Pleased with this, Shiva grants her the boon that she will attain this goal in her next life. He elaborates that she will born to King Drupad first as a woman but then later will change to be a man. Saying this he disappears. As soon as he disappears, Amba jumps into the fire to kill herself so that she can take rebirth soon.


King Drupad had been performing lot of austerities for a son. Shiva appears before him as well and blesses him with a boon that he will soon have a girl child who will later become a man. Thus when Drupad's wife delivers a baby girl, King Drupad ensures that the gender is a secret. He raised her as a son. Drupad also got  Shikhandi married. But after marriage, the wife came to know about Shikhandi's gender. She complained to her parents who were agitated. Her father, King Hiranyavarma, was so angry that he was ready to attack the kingdom of Panchala. Shikhandi, having witnessed her parents sorrow, goes to a nearby forest to kill herself. A yaksha by the name of Sthunakarna used to stay there. Seeing her condition, he enquires about her reason. Shikhandi narrates her story. Overcome by pity, the Yaksha donates his male organs to Shikhanndi and accepts her female organs in return. Shikhandi promises to bring back the male organs once she proves her father-in-law that she is a male. 


Coming back to palace, Shikhandi sleeps with the beautiful maidens sent by King Hiranyavarma who had come there to ascertain Shikhandi;s gender. Thus, the attack on Panchal and the insult of his father was averted. At the same time, Kubera curses Yaksha Sthunakarna (for disrespecting the Yaksha clan by donating his organs to Shikhandi) to remain as a woman as long as Shikhandi is not dead. Sthunakarna informs this to Shikhandi when he comes to give back his male organ. Shikhandi then goes on to get trained by Drona on warfare and weapons. 


According to C. Rajagopalachari, Amba resorted to penance and received a garland of blue lotuses from Lord Subramanya and it was foretold that anyone wearing the garland would become the cause of Bhishma's death. She again with no avail tried to persuade the warriors to accept the garland and champion her cause. But again none wanted to antagonize Bhishma. Amba, in anger, hung the garland on the gates of King Drupad and left in agony. Later born as Shikhandi, she playfully wears the garland. At that time, she remembers everything from her past life and her hatred for Bhishma resurfaces.

For me, this is a beautiful part of Mahabharata and implores me to think if the ancestors of India were aware of sex-change operations. Someone born as a woman who wants to perform and live as man- was this a known and acceptable condition in ancient India. Was this just kept as secret knowledge to be implemented by only select yogi's/doctors? Other than Bhishma, no one in Mahabharata ever raises the sex issue of Shikhandi. Everyone accepts Shikhandi as a male irrespective of what he was born with. Yet in our modern days, we still have many Bhishma's who does not accept gender change. They view sexual identity of an individual with the organs what one is born with rather than the psychology or desire of the individual. Bhishma's code of dharma was old and stubborn and it was time to make way for change. It is time to make way for regreesive laws/outlook in our current society too. But change will need to come from the Shikhandi's. 

It also raises the law of Karma and it's workings. Bhishma's seemingly appropriate action to garner a wife for his step-brother should have been acceptable. But his disregard for the individual freedom of the women (especially Amba) has brought down his downfall. Every action, irrespective of intent, has an equal reaction and no one can escape from that. 

This is not the only time Bhishma shows disregard towards a woman's right to choose. He is the one who seeks Gandhari's marriage with Dhritharashtra from her parents without giving a thought about her emotions in getting married to a blind prince. Bhishma consents to Pandu's wish to marry Madri during Pandu's victory tour. The catalyst for change in Mahabharata is Krishna. Krishna's behavior towards women is in big contrast to Bhishma. Krishna has a platonic friendship with Droupadi which was the first ever recorded man-woman friendship in Indian mythology. Krishna has no qualms in eloping with Rukmini to avoid her getting married against her wishes. Krishna also helps Arjuna to elope with Subhadra (Krishna's sister) before Balram can marry her to Duryodhana. Times were changing and the old laws had to change. New laws had to come in.