The Mahabharata

Book 1: Adi Parva

Kisari Mohan Ganguli, tr.

[1883-1896]

SECTION CXXIV

(Sambhava Parva continued)

“Vaisampayana said, ‘After the birth of Kunti’s sons and also of the hundred
sons of Dhritarashtra the daughter of the king of the Madras privately addressed
Pandu, saying, ‘O slayer of foes, I have no complaint even if thou beest unpropitious
to me. I have, O sinless one, also no complaint that though by birth I am superior
to Kunti yet I am inferior to her in station. I do not grieve, O thou of Kuru’s
race, that Gandhari hath obtained a hundred sons. This, however, is my great grief
that while Kunti and I are equal, I should be childless, while it should so chance
that thou shouldst have offspring by Kunti alone. If the daughter of Kuntibhoja
should so provide that I should have offspring, she would then be really doing
me a great favour and benefiting thee likewise. She being my rival, I feel a delicacy
in soliciting any favour of her. If thou beest, O king, propitiously disposed
to me, then ask her to grant my desire.’

“Hearing her, Pandu replied, ‘O Madri, I do revolve this matter often in my
own mind, but I have hitherto hesitated to tell thee anything, not knowing how
thou wouldst receive it. Now that I know what your wishes are, I shall certainly
strive after that end. I think that, asked by me, Kunti will not refuse.’

“Vaisampayana continued, ‘After this, Pandu addressed Kunti in private, saying,
‘O Kunti, grant me some more offspring for the expansion of my race and for the
benefit of the world. O blessed one, provide thou that I myself, my ancestors,
and thine also, may always have the funeral cake offered to us. O, do what is
beneficial to me, and grant me and the world what, indeed, is the best of benefits.
O, do what, indeed, may be difficult for thee, moved by the desire of achieving
undying fame. Behold, Indra, even though he hath obtained the sovereignty of the
celestials, doth yet, for fame alone, perform sacrifices. O handsome one, Brahmanas,
well-acquainted with the Vedas, and having achieved high ascetic merit, do yet,
for fame alone, approach their spiritual masters with reverence. So also all royal
sages and Brahmanas possessed of ascetic wealth have achieved, for fame only,
the most difficult of ascetic feat. Therefore, O blameless one, rescue this Madri
as by a raft (by granting her the means of obtaining offspring), and achieve thou
imperishable fame by making her a mother of children.’

“Thus addressed by her lord, Kunti readily yielded, and said unto Madri, ‘Think
thou, without loss of time, of some celestial, and thou shall certainly obtain
from him a child like unto him.’ Reflecting for a few moments. Madri thought of
the twin Aswins, who coming unto her with speed begat upon her two sons that were
twins named Nakula and Sahadeva, unrivalled on earth for personal beauty. And
as soon as they were born, an incorporeal voice said, ‘In energy and beauty these
twins shall transcend even the twin Aswins themselves.’ Indeed possessed of great
energy and beauty, they illumined the whole region.

“O king, after all the children were born the Rishis dwelling on the mountain
of a hundred peaks uttering blessings on them and affectionately performing the
first rites of birth, bestowed appellations on them. The eldest of Kunti’s children
was called Yudhishthira, the second Bhimasena, and the third Arjuna, and of Madri’s
sons, the first-born of the twins was called Nakula and the next Sahadeva. And
those foremost sons born at an interval of one year after one another, looked
like an embodied period of five years. And king Pandu, beholding his children
of celestial beauty and of super-abundant energy, great strength and prowess,
and of largeness of soul, rejoiced exceedingly. And the children became great
favourites of the Rishis, as also of their wives, dwelling on the mountain of
a hundred peaks.

“Some time after, Pandu again requested Kunti on behalf of Madri. Addressed,
O king, by her lord in private, Kunti replied, ‘Having given her the formula of
invocation only once, she hath, O king, managed to obtain two sons. Have I not
been thus deceived by her, I fear, O king, that she will soon surpass me in the
number of her children. This, indeed, is the way of all wicked women. Fool that
I was, I did not know that by invoking the twin gods I could obtain at one birth
twin children. I beseech thee, O king, do not command me any further. Let this
be the boon granted (by thee) to me.’

“Thus, O king, were born unto Pandu five sons who were begotten by celestials
and were endued with great strength, and who all lived to achieve great fame and
expand the Kuru race. Each bearing every auspicious mark on his person, handsome
like Soma, proud as the lion, well-skilled in the use of the bow, and of leonine
tread, breast, heart, eyes, neck and prowess, those foremost of men, resembling
the celestials themselves in might, began to grow up. And beholding them and their
virtues growing with years, the great Rishis dwelling on that snowcapped sacred
mountain were filled with wonder. And the five Pandavas and the hundred sons of
Dhritarashtra– that propagator of the Kuru race–grew up rapidly like a cluster
of lotuses in a lake.'”