King Sudyumna Becomes a Woman
तुष्टस्तस्मै स भगवानृषये प्रियमावहन् । स्वां च वाचमृतां कुर्वन्निदमाह विशाम्पते ॥ ३८ ॥ मासं पुमान् स भविता मासं स्री तव गोत्रज: । इत्थं व्यवस्थया कामं सुद्युम्नोऽवतु मेदिनीम् ॥ ३९ ॥
Transliteration
tuṣṭas tasmai sa bhagavān ṛṣaye priyam āvahan svāṁ ca vācam ṛtāṁ kurvann idam āha viśāmpatemāsaṁ pumān sa bhavitā māsaṁ strī tava gotrajaḥ itthaṁ vyavasthayā kāmaṁ sudyumno ’vatu medinīm
Synonyms (Word-for-Word)
tuṣṭaḥ — being pleased; tasmai — unto Vasiṣṭha; saḥ — he (Lord Śiva); bhagavān — the most powerful; ṛṣaye — unto the great sage; priyam āvahan — just to please him; svām ca — his own; vācam — word; ṛtām — true; kurvan — and keeping; idam — this; āha — said; viśāmpate — O King Parīkṣit; māsam — one month; pumān — male; saḥ — Sudyumna; bhavitā — will become; māsam — another month; strī — female; tava — your; gotra-jaḥ — disciple born in your disciplic succession; ittham — in this way; vyavasthayā — by settlement; kāmam — according to desire; sudyumnaḥ — King Sudyumna; avatu — may rule; medinīm — the world.
Translation
“O King Parīkṣit, Lord Śiva was pleased with Vasiṣṭha. Therefore, to satisfy him and to keep his own word to Pārvatī, Lord Śiva said to that saintly person, “Your disciple Sudyumna may remain a male for one month and a female for the next. In this way he may rule the world as he likes.””