Chapter 115

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Meanwhile, O Janamejaya, Dhritarashtra begat uponGandhari a hundred sons, and upon a Vaisya wife another besides thosehundred. And Pandu had, by his two wives Kunti and Madri, five sons whowere great charioteers and who were all begotten by the celestials forthe perpetuation of the Kuru line.’

“Janamejaya said, ‘O best of Brahmanas, how did Gandhari bring forththose hundred sons and in how many years? What were also the periods oflife allotted to each? How did Dhritarashtra also beget another son in aVaisya wife? How did Dhritarashtra behave towards his loving obedient,and virtuous wife Gandhari? How were also begotten the five sons ofPandu, those mighty charioteers, even though Pandu himself laboured underthe curse of the great Rishi (he slew)? Tell me all this in detail, formy thirst for hearing everything relating to my own ancestor hath notbeen slaked.’

“Vaisampayana said, ‘One day Gandhari entertained with respectfulattention the great Dwaipayana who came to her abode, exhausted withhunger and fatigue. Gratified with Gandhari’s hospitality, the Rishi gaveher the boon she asked for, viz., that she should have a century of sonseach equal unto her lord in strength and accomplishments. Some time afterGandhari conceived and she bore the burden in her womb for two long yearswithout being delivered. And she was greatly afflicted at this. It wasthen that she heard that Kunti had brought forth a son whose splendourwas like unto the morning sun. Impatient of the period of gestation whichhad prolonged so long, and deprived of reason by grief, she struck herwomb with great violence without the knowledge of her husband. Andthereupon came out of her womb, after two years’ growth, a hard mass offlesh like unto an iron ball. When she was about to throw it away,Dwaipayana, learning everything by his spiritual powers, promptly camethere, and that first of ascetics beholding that ball of flesh, addressedthe daughter of Suvala thus, ‘What hast thou done?’ Gandhari, withoutendeavouring to disguise her feelings, addressed the Rishi and said,’Having heard that Kunti had brought forth a son like unto Surya insplendour, I struck in grief at my womb. Thou hadst, O Rishi, granted methe boon that I should have a hundred sons, but here is only a ball offlesh for those hundred sons!’ Vyasa then said, ‘Daughter of Suvala, itis even so. But my words can never be futile. I have not spoken anuntruth even in jest. I need not speak of other occasions. Let a hundredpots full of clarified butter be brought instantly, and let them beplaced at a concealed spot. In the meantime, let cool water be sprinkledover this ball of flesh.’

“Vaisampayana continued, ‘That ball of flesh then, sprinkled over withwater, became, in time, divided into a hundred and one parts, each aboutthe size of the thumb. These were then put into those pots full ofclarified butter that had been placed at a concealed spot and werewatched with care. The illustrious Vyasa then said unto the daughter ofSuvala that she should open the covers of the pots after full two years.And having said this and made these arrangements, the wise Dwaipayanawent to the Himavat mountains for devoting himself to asceticism.

“Then in time, king Duryodhana was born from among those pieces of theball of flesh that had been deposited in those pots. According to theorder of birth, king Yudhishthira was the oldest. The news ofDuryodhana’s birth was carried to Bhishma and the wise Vidura. The daythat the haughty Duryodhana was born was also the birth-day of Bhima ofmighty arms and great prowess.

“As soon as Duryodhana was born, he began to cry and bray like an ass.And hearing that sound, the asses, vultures, jackals and crows utteredtheir respective cries responsively. Violent winds began to blow, andthere were fires in various directions. Then king Dhritarashtra in greatfear, summoning Bhishma and Vidura and other well-wishers and all theKurus, and numberless Brahmanas, addressed them and said, ‘The oldest ofthose princes, Yudhishthira, is the perpetuator of our line. By virtue ofhis birth he hath acquired the kingdom. We have nothing to say to this.But shall this my son born after him become king? Tell me truly what islawful and right under these circumstances.’ As soon as these words werespoken, O Bharata, jackals and other carnivorous animals began to howlominously And marking those frightful omens all around, the assembledBrahmanas and the wise Vidura replied, ‘O king, O bull among men, whenthese frightful omens are noticeable at the birth of thy eldest son, itis evident that he shall be the exterminator of thy race. The prosperityof all dependeth on his abandonment. Calamity there must be in keepinghim. O king, if thou abandonest him, there remain yet thy nine and ninetysons. If thou desirest the good of thy race, abandon him, O Bharata! Oking, do good to the world and thy own race by casting off this one childof thine. It hath been said that an individual should be cast off for thesake of the family; that a family should be cast off for the sake of avillage; that a village may be abandoned for the sake of the wholecountry; and that the earth itself may be abandoned for the sake of thesoul.’ When Vidura and those Brahmanas had stated so, king Dhritarashtraout of affection for his son had not the heart to follow that advice.Then, O king, within a month, were born a full hundred sons untoDhritarashtra and a daughter also in excess of this hundred. And duringthe time when Gandhari was in a state of advanced pregnancy, there was amaid servant of the Vaisya class who used to attend on Dhritarashtra.During that year, O king, was begotten upon her by the illustriousDhritarashtra a son endued with great intelligence who was afterwardsnamed Yuvutsu. And because he was begotten by a Kshatriya upon a Vaisyawoman, he came to be called Karna.

“Thus were born unto the wise Dhritarashtra a hundred sons who were allheroes and mighty chariot-fighters, and a daughter over and above thehundred, and another son Yuyutsu of great energy and prowess begottenupon a Vaisya woman.'”