Shikhandin built a funeral pyre and was prepared to leap into the flames when a yaksha shouted, "Wait! What are you doing, young warrior? Why end your life?"
Shikhandin explained.
The yaksha, whose name was Sthuna, offered to trade genders. "I will give you my manhood," said the yaksha, "and instead of Sthuna, I will become Sthuni. You can go prove to your father that you are his son and to your wife that you are her husband, and then come return my manhood to me."
Shikhandin was delighted. "I will come back and return your manhood tomorrow," he promised.
Inspired by: Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata by Devdutt Pattanaik.
Notes: This story is on p. 250.
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