Śraddhā, the beloved wife of Manu, approached the family priest with a heartfelt prayer. “O revered Brahman,” she pleaded, “may a daughter be born to me. Please arrange the means for this blessing.” The priest, considering her request in his mind, performed the sacrificial rites with the intention of producing a daughter. Thus, through this deviation from the usual procedure, a girl was born, and she was named Ilā. When Manu saw his newborn daughter, he turned anxiously to his guru. “O Lord,” he asked, “how has this discrepancy occurred? I had hoped for a son, yet a daughter has been born. What has caused this?” The sage, hearing Manu’s troubled words, reflected deeply and realized the priest’s error in the ritual. Desiring to correct this, he sought refuge in the Supreme Lord and prayed earnestly that Ilā might be granted malehood. By the combined power of the sage’s austerities and the grace of the Supreme Lord, a wondrous transformation took place before the eyes of all the worlds: Ilā became male. Consecrated by his guru, the child, now named Sudyumna, grew to be a repository of knowledge, just as the ocean receives all rivers. In time, as Sudyumna reached the vigor of youth, he mounted a fine Sindhu horse and set out into the forest for hunting. With his retinue, he wandered from one forest to another, journeying far and wide. By the workings of fate, Sudyumna and his companions entered a particular forest at the foot of Mount Hemadri. At that very time, in that place, the god of gods, Shankara—Lord Shiva—was delighting in the company of his beloved wife, Aparna (Parvati). A group of sages, longing for a vision of Shiva, arrived there as well. Upon seeing them, Girija (Parvati) became bashful. Observing Shiva and Parvati engaged in intimate pleasure, the ascetic sages respectfully withdrew and journeyed to the abode of Vaikuntha. Desiring privacy with his beloved, Shiva pronounced a curse upon that forest: “From this day forth, any man who enters here shall become a woman.” From then on, men avoided that region. But Sudyumna, unaware, had entered, and he was instantly transformed into a beautiful woman. He was astonished to see not only himself, but also his horses turned into mares and his followers into women. Now a woman of surpassing beauty, Sudyumna wandered from forest to forest. One day, she came near the hermitage of Budha, the son of Soma. Budha beheld her—her limbs graceful, her breasts full and high, her lips red as bimba fruit, teeth like jasmine buds, face radiant, and eyes like lotuses. Struck by the arrows of love, Budha desired her. She, too, with lovely brows, was drawn to Budha. Thus, she remained in his hermitage, delighting in his company. In the course of time, Budha, son of Mitra and Varuna, fathered a son with her, whom they named Pururavas. After some years had passed, memories of her former life as a man returned, and sorrow filled her heart. She left Budha’s hermitage and went to the ashram of her guru, Vasistha. Bowing before him, she recounted all that had happened and sought his help, yearning to regain her manhood. Vasistha, moved by compassion, journeyed to Mount Kailasa. There, he worshipped Lord Shambhu (Shiva) with utmost devotion and praised him in reverence: “Salutations to you, Shiva, Shankara, the matted-haired one, whose body is half-united with Girija, the moon-crested one! Salutations to you, the giver of happiness, who dwells on Kailasa, blue-throated one, bestower of enjoyment and liberation! To you, Shiva of auspicious form, remover of fear for those who seek refuge, bull-rider, shelter of all, supreme self, I bow! You are Brahma, Vishnu, and Ishvara in creation, preservation, and dissolution; god of gods, bestower of boons, enemy of Tripura! Salutations again and again to you, form of sacrifice, giver of fruits, bearer of Ganga, whose hair, sun, moon, and fire are your eyes!” Pleased by these praises, the Blessed Lord, master of the universe, appeared before Vasistha, radiant as millions of suns, mounted on a bull and accompanied by Ambika. He shone like a silver mountain, with three eyes and the crescent moon adorning his brow. Content at heart, Shiva spoke: “O best of sages, choose a boon, whatever you desire.” Vasistha bowed and requested that Sudyumna might regain his manhood. The gracious Lord replied, “For one month you will be a man, for one month a woman.” Having received this boon, Vasistha also bowed to Jagadambika, the goddess Maheshvari, who stood ready to grant blessings. He worshipped her, radiant as millions of moonbeams, smiling beautifully, and praised her with devotion, desiring manhood for Ilā. “Victory to you, O great goddess, bestower of grace to devotees! Worshipped by all the gods, abode of endless virtues, victory to you! Salutations again and again, queen of the gods, affectionate to those who seek refuge; victory to you, Durgā, remover of suffering, destroyer of wicked demons! Accessible through devotion, great Māyā, mother of the universe, your lotus feet carry beings across the ocean of worldly existence. Even Brahma and the other gods, by serving your lotus feet, attain lordship over creation, preservation, and dissolution. Be gracious, O queen of the gods, giver of the four aims of life; who can truly praise you? I am only one who bows before you.” Thus praised by Vasistha with devotion, the supreme goddess Durgā Nārāyaṇī was immediately pleased. She spoke gently to the sage: “Go to the house of Sudyumna and worship me with devotion. Recite to Sudyumna, with affection, the Purāṇa dear to me, called the Devī Bhāgavata, over nine days, O best of twice-born.” And so, by the grace of the Lord and the goddess, Sudyumna’s destiny was shaped according to divine will, his story woven into the sacred tapestry of the world.