Shikhandi: 8 key ideas
The core ideas of Shikhandi, each in under a minute, written in our own words. Want the full depth? Get the book.
- IDEA 1 OF 8
Indian myths include queer stories
Pattanaik argues that Indian stories have long included characters who cross lines of gender and desire.
These tales are often skipped or softened in retellings, but they show that such ideas are not new or foreign.
- IDEA 2 OF 8
Shikhandi was born a woman
In the Mahabharata, Shikhandi is born female and later becomes male, and helps bring down the great warrior Bhishma.
Pattanaik uses the story to show how the epic treats gender as something that can change.
- IDEA 3 OF 8
Ila changed with the moon
Pattanaik retells the story of King Ila, who entered an enchanted forest and was transformed into a woman.
In some versions Ila alternates between male and female each month, living two different lives.
- IDEA 4 OF 8
Vishnu becomes the enchantress Mohini
Pattanaik describes how Vishnu takes the form of Mohini to trick the demons and save the nectar of immortality.
In other stories, Mohini's beauty enchants even Shiva, blurring the lines of gender among gods.
- IDEA 5 OF 8
Krishna married Aravan for one night
Pattanaik tells the Tamil tradition in which Aravan, a son of Arjuna, agrees to be sacrificed but wishes to marry first.
Krishna becomes a woman to marry him, a story still celebrated by transgender communities.
- IDEA 6 OF 8
Some heroes had two mothers
Pattanaik retells a story in which King Bhagiratha is born from the union of two queens after their husband dies.
Such tales show that ancient storytellers imagined families in many different forms.
- IDEA 7 OF 8
Goddesses protect gender-variant people
Pattanaik describes goddesses like Bahuchara Mata, who are worshipped by the hijra community.
These traditions give gender-variant people a sacred place and a sense of belonging within Hindu practice. Temples to her draw many devotees.
- IDEA 8 OF 8
Stories can widen our view
Pattanaik's larger point is that myths reflect a society's ideas about what is natural and acceptable.
By recovering these stories, he hopes readers will approach differences in gender and desire with more understanding.
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