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 <indology@list.indology.info>:
 

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
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Marco Franceschini
 

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Associate Professor
University of Bologna
Department of History and Cultures
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