Duryodhana said Tell me, O grandsire, how Shikhandin, who had been before a daughter, O son of Ganga, became a man. O foremost of warriors.

Bhishma said The chosen and beloved queen of king Drupada, O great king, was childless at first, O monarch.

And during this time the highly intelligent king Drupada, pleased by worship, O mighty king, the God Shankara for the sake of offspring.

Resolving to bring about my destruction, he took to the severest penances, and said “Let mine be a son, and not a daughter, 0 Mahadeva;

O God, I desire a son, to revenge myself on Bhishma.” Then this was said (to him) by Mahadeva, "Your son shall be both male and female.

Desist therefore, O protector of the earth, it shall never be otherwise." He (king Drupada) entering his city said to his wife.

"I have made a great exertion; O goddess, I have worshipped Shambhu by penances, and I have been told by him. “Your offspring) will first be a female and will then become a man."

Though repeatedly solicited, Shiva only said “It is decreed by destiny. It shall not be otherwise, but when as I have told you”.

Thereupon that lady of great force of mind kept her mind rigidly pure and the wife of king Drupada, at the proper time went to king Drupada.

Agreeably to the decrees of destiny the wife of Prishata, in due time, conceived, as Narada informed me, O ruler of the Earth.

And that goddess, whose eyes resembled the petals on the lotus, continued to hold her fetus. And to that dear wife, O son of Kuru, king Drupada,

The mighty-armed one, on account of his affection for his son, ordered all that was agreeable. And O Kaurava, his wife obtained everything that she desired.

And in due time that goddess, the queen of the childless lord of earth, king Drupada,

Even that lady of great force of mind, O lord of men, gave birth to a daughter of great beauty.

O great king, thereupon the king Drupada gave out to all, this is my son, and for this daughter, who was concealed.

O lord of men, (he) caused all the necessary rites to be performed just as if it were a son. And the imperial wife of Drupada protected the secret with all due care, saying, "This is a son indeed.” And neither did any one else other than the son of Prishata know (the child to be a) daughter, in all that city.

Reverencing the words of that god of immeasurable glory, he kept to himself that she was a daughter, and said, “This is a male child."

And that king caused all the rites prescribed for a son during infancy to be performed according to all due ordinances, and named her Shikhandin.

I alone, by means of spies, and through the words of Narada, and through the words of the god (Shiva) and also from the austerities of Amba, was informed (of the child being a son).