Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.1.26
तस्मिन् प्रविष्ट एवासौ सुद्युम्न: परवीरहा ।
अपश्यत् स्रियमात्मानमश्वं च वडवां नृप ॥ २६ ॥
tasmin praviṣṭa evāsau
[tasmin pravishta evaasau]
sudyumnaḥ para-vīra-hā
[sudyumnah para-veera-haa]
apaśyat striyam ātmānam
[apashyat striyam aatmaanam]
aśvaṁ ca vaḍavāṁ nṛpa
[ashvam cha vadavaam nripa]
Word-for-word
tasmin
—
in that forest
praviṣṭaḥ
—
having entered
eva
—
indeed
asau
—
he
sudyumnaḥ
—
Prince Sudyumna
para-vīra-hā
—
who could very well subdue his enemies
apaśyat
—
observed
striyam
—
female
ātmānam
—
himself
aśvam ca
—
and his horse
vaḍavām
—
a mare
nṛpa
—
O King Parīkṣit.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tasmin praviṣṭa evāsau
tasmin
in that forest
praviṣṭaḥ
having entered
eva
indeed
asau
he
sudyumnaḥ para-vīra-hā
sudyumnaḥ
Prince Sudyumna
para-vīra-hā
who could very well subdue his enemies
apaśyat striyam ātmānam
apaśyat
observed
striyam
female
ātmānam
himself
aśvaṁ ca vaḍavāṁ nṛpa
aśvam ca
and his horse
vaḍavām
a mare
nṛpa
O King Parīkṣit.
O King Parīkṣit, as soon as Sudyumna, who was expert in subduing enemies, entered the forest, he saw himself transformed into a female and his horse transformed into a mare.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
O King Parīkṣit, when Sudyumna, who was expert in subduing enemies, entered the forest, he saw that he had become a woman and his horse had become a mare.
Personal Guidance
Sudyumna's body and even his horse's body transform on the spot. The material body, far from being our identity, can change drastically under higher arrangement.
Reflection Questions
- How tightly do I cling to my current body as 'me' — and what would loosening that grip free up?
- If body and gender can shift in this very story, what is the constant in me that has not changed?
My note
Source: vedabase.io