Shikhandi

And so Indian system always recognized it.

We had Shikhandi and we have, you know, several other characters.

Brihanala.

Brihanala.

Sahadeva, on his, called gem-bedecked.

And Kasi's prince, on his, Sikhandi, on his car.

Dhristadyum, Virata, Satyaki, the unsubdued, Drupada, with his sons, O lord of earth.

Long-armed Subhadra's children all blew loud, so that the clangor shook their foemen's hearts, with quaking earth and thundering heaven.

And in the greatest epic, there are so many incidents.

The story of King Ila, Chitrangada, Brihannala, Shikhandi, Bhagvansa.

These are so many, uh, characters who are supposed to either be transgendered, cross-dressers.

In fact, as Brihannala, Arjun was a cross-dresser.

When he was teaching dance to his would-be daughter-in-law, Uttara, he dressed as a woman, uh, to be teaching because no man could teach this beautiful daughter of the king dance, so he dressed as a woman, so he was our first cross-dresser.

[laughs]

And then you have Shikhandi who was our first, um ...

Would we call Shikhandi a hijra? I would say yes, because what had Bhishma got as a varadan? That he could choose his death, and he was infallible, and nobody could kill him except-

What was the idea behind it and how did it come about?

Yeah, I had so many thoughts in that first episode on Shikandi and I was just like writing stuff down, thinking so much.

And I think I even said in the podcast episode, like, oh, this is a thing around trans visibility, a nuance I want to come back to.

And I never came back to it because it was just a full story and it was so much happening.

We know at the beginning of the war Arjuna became very bewildered and Krishna therefore spoke Bhagavad Gita and then the war begun.

So the war was going on but the Pandavas knew that until Bhishma Dev fell there would be no chance of victory and so they had to create some kind of strategy to annihilate Bhishma Dev from the war and therefore on the tenth day the idea came that Bhishma Dev said I will not fight against any lady and therefore Arjun came in front of Bhishma Dev side by side with Shikhandi and therefore Shikhandi was shooting arrows at Bhishma Dev and he said that Shikhandi's arrows were like lotuses they didn't do anything to Bhishma Dev but side by side with Shikhandi was Arjuna and therefore Arjuna started launching arrows and he said that those arrows were like thunderbolts And Arjun, as we know, very expert archer, he was releasing arrows like a thunderstorm.

And eventually all of those arrows penetrated the body of Bhishma Dev.

It's said that he put so many arrows through the body of Bhishma Dev that you couldn't even fit two fingers on any part of Bhishma Dev's body.

Okay.

Shikhandi is a transgender character in what ancient Hindu epic poem? A, the Ramayana.

Mm-hmm.

B, the Sirabu- B, the Sirabuvalaya.

He is falling on a bed of arrows.

There is a story how Arjuna and Shikandin are fighting with him and they fill him with so many arrows that finally he falls.

And because there are so many arrows, his body doesn't touch the ground.

He's lying on a bed of arrows, but he doesn't die.

Now there was among the Pandava forces a brave young warrior who, strange to say, had been born a princess but had been changed by the gods into a prince, perhaps in order that the great leader Bhishma should die in battle like a true warrior and yet should not fall before his foes in an even contest.

Bhishma knew the young prince, whose name was Shikhandin, and was aware of his strange story.

Consequently, having sworn never to fight with one who was born a woman, when he met him in the full tide of battle he lowered his bow and stood defenseless.

In a moment he was overwhelmed by a shower of arrows and spears and fell mortally wounded in his chariot just as the sun was setting.

And Kasi's prince on his.

Sikhandi on his car.

Dhristadyumna, Virata, Satyaki, the unsubdued, Drupada with his sons.

O lord of earth! Long-armed Subhadra's children all blew loud, so that the clangor shook their foemen's hearts, with quaking earth and thundering heaven.