The King Who Became a Mother

The sages told the Pandavas of King Bhangasvana, who was changed from a man into a woman, and who, when offered the choice to return to his manhood, chose instead to remain a woman - because, having been both father and mother, he found a mother's love the greater - a tale of the two natures, of a parent's love, and of which of life's joys runs deepest.

King Bhangasvana was a great and righteous ruler, but he was childless, and longed for sons. So he performed a certain great sacrifice to obtain offspring - a sacrifice, however, that was dedicated to a god other than Indra, and that did not give Indra his due honor. Indra, the king of the gods, was offended at being slighted in the rite, and bore the king a grudge for it, waiting for a chance to humble him. By the sacrifice the king did indeed obtain his wish, and in time a hundred sons were born to him, and he rejoiced in them, a father blessed with many heirs. But Indra had not forgotten the slight, and watched for his moment of revenge.