In the story of King Śikhidhvaja (Mokṣopāya VI.81.11–114.32), his wife Cūḍālā helps him to attain a decisive philosophical insight that ultimately leads to liberation by employing a series of ingenious methods designed specifically for Śikhidhvaja. This culminates in a double gender transformation. She temporarily transforms herself into the young (male) Brahmin Kumbha, who, at a later point in the story, turns into a woman named Madanikā every night due to an alleged curse invented by Cūḍālā.
See: Mokṣopāya. Das Sechste Buch. Nirvāṇaprakaraṇa. 1. Teil: Kapitel 1–119. Kritische Edition von S. Krause-Stinner und P. Stephan. Wiesbaden 2018 (Anonymus Casmiriensis: Mokṣopāya. Historisch-kritische Gesamtausgabe. Hrsg. unter der Leitung von W. Slaje. Textedition 5. Veröffentlichungen der Fächergruppenkommission für Außereuropäische Sprachen und Kulturen. Studien zur Indologie). Wiesbaden 2018, pp. 319–474. - Rūpāvatī (Divyāvadāna) The story of Rūp(y)āvatī/Rukmavatī, has been handed down in three different versions. See below for more information: – D. Dimitrov: “Two Female Bodhisattvas in Flesh and Blood.” In: U. Roesler and J. Soni (eds.): Aspects of the Female in Indian Culture. Marburg 2004 (Indica et Tibetica 44), pp. 3–30. – D. Dimitrov: “Some Remarks on the Rūpyāvatyavadāna of the Divyāvadāna(mālā).” In: D. Dimitrov, M. Hahn, and R. Steiner (eds.): Bauddhasāhityastabakāvalī. Essays and Studies on Buddhist Sanskrit Literature. Dedicated to Claus Vogel. Marburg 2008 (Indica et Tibetica 36), pp. 45–64. – R. Steiner: “Zum ursprünglichen Titel der ‘Rūpyāvatī’-Geschichte.” In: D. Dimitrov, U. Roesler and R. Steiner (eds.): Śikhisamuccayaḥ. Indian and Tibetan Studies. Wien 2002 (Wiener Studien zur Tibetologie und Buddhismuskunde 53), pp. 203–210. – M. Straube: Studien zur Bodhisattvāvadānakalpalatā. Texte und Quellen der Parallelen zu Haribhaṭṭas Jātakamālā. Wiesbaden 2009 (Veröffentlichungen der Helmuth von Glasenapp-Stiftung. Monographien 1), pp. 322–324 (“Das Rukmavatyavadāna”). Best, Roland Steiner Am Freitag, 13. März 2026 21:46 CET, schrieb Marco Franceschini via INDOLOGY <[email protected]>: Dear friends and colleagues, one of my students is writing her undergraduate thesis on the theme of gender change in pre-modern Sanskrit literature.So far, we have identified the following cases:- Ila/Sudyumna-Ilā (Rāmāyaṇa, Bhāgavatapurāṇa, Viṣṇupurāṇa, Vāyupurāṇa)- Bhaṅgāsvana (Mahābhārata)- Śikhaṇḍin (Mahābhārata)- Mūladeva (Vetālapañcaviṃśati)- Rūpāvatī (Divyāvadāna)- Arjuna (Mahābhārata) As for studies on the subject, we have been able to identify only these three:- M. Bloomfield, On the Art of Entering Another's Body: A Hindu Fiction Motif- N. Brown, Change of Sex as a Hindu Story Motif- R. Goldman, Transsexualism, Gender, and Anxiety in Traditional India I would be grateful for any additional suggestions you might wish to provide. Thank you in advance for your suggestions.Best wishes, Marco--- Marco Franceschini ———————————--- Associate Professor University of Bologna Department of History and CulturesPersonal web pageAcademia web page—
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