Amba was born as the daughter of King Drupada of Panchala. One day, she saw the garland of ever-fresh flowers hung on the palace gate. No one had dared to put it on all these years. Amba wore it. Drupada was terrified that her action would bring Bhishma there in anger. So, he exiled her to the forest. She performed hard penance there and successfully changed her form into that of a man. She became Shikhandin, a warrior. During the war at Kurukshetra, Bhishma knew that Shikhandin would kill him. But his code of conduct did not allow him to attack a woman. He felt that Shikhandin had been born a girl. Therefore, even if he had become a man now, Bhishma could not attack her. Thus it was that during the great war at Kurukshetra, Shikhandin, with the help of Arjuna, succeeded in killing Bhishma and Amba kept her vow.
Amba Reborn
