Chapter 13: Gāndhārī’s hard mass is divided by Vyāsa into 101 embryos; jealousy underlies both Gāndhārī’s anguish and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s dynastic anxiety.

Gāndhārī’s jealousy at Kuntī’s childbirth leads to the hard mass and 101 embryos;

vaiśampāyana uvāca॥

Vaiśampāyana said:

[PV-KDV:01_019_1] (Jaya)

tataḥ putraśataṁ jajñē gāndhāryāṁ janamējaya । dhr̥tarāṣṭrasya vaiśyāyāmēkaścāpi śatātparaḥ ॥BORI: 1-107-1॥

Then, Janamejaya, a hundred sons were born to Dhritarashtra by Gandhari, and one more beyond the hundred by a Vaishya woman. (BORI: 1-107-1)

[PV-KDV:01_019_2] (Jaya)

janamējaya uvāca॥

Janamejaya said:

[PV-KDV:01_019_3] (Jaya)

kathaṁ putraśataṁ jajñē gāndhāryāṁ dvijasattama । kiyatā caiva kālēna tēṣāmāyuśca kiṁ param ॥BORI: 1-107-3॥

How were a hundred sons born to Gandhari, best of brahmins? How long did it take, and what was the full extent of their lifespan? (BORI: 1-107-3)

[PV-KDV:01_019_4] (Jaya)

kathaṁ caikaḥ sa vaiśyāyāṁ dhr̥tarāṣṭrasutō’bhavat । kathaṁ ca sadr̥śīṁ bhāryāṁ gāndhārīṁ dharmacāriṇīm । ānukūlyē vartamānāṁ dhr̥tarāṣṭrō’tyavartata ॥BORI: 1-107-4॥

How did that one son of Dhritarashtra come to be born to a Vaishya woman? And how did Dhritarashtra disregard Gandhari, his well-matched and virtuous wife, who always sought to please him? (BORI: 1-107-4)

[PV-KDV:01_019_5] (Jaya)

vaiśampāyana uvāca॥

Vaiśampāyana said:

[PV-KDV:01_019_7] (Jaya)

tataḥ kālēna sā garbhaṁ dhr̥tarāṣṭrādathāgrahīt ॥BORI: 1-107-8B॥

Then, in due course, she conceived a child by Dhritarashtra. (BORI: 1-107-8B)

[PV-KDV:01_019_10] (Jaya)

saṁvatsaradvayaṁ taṁ tu gāndhārī garbhamāhitam । aprajā dhārayāmāsa tatastāṁ duḥkhamāviśat ॥BORI: 1-107-9॥

Gandhari carried that pregnancy for two full years without giving birth; then sorrow overcame her. (BORI: 1-107-9)

[PV-KDV:01_019_11] (Jaya)

śrutvā kuntīsutaṁ jātaṁ bālārkasamatējasam । udarasyātmanaḥ sthairyamupalabhyānvacintayat ॥BORI: 1-107-10॥

Hearing that Kunti’s son had been born, radiant as the rising sun, and realizing that her own womb remained unchanged, she began to brood. (BORI: 1-107-10)

[PV-KDV:01_019_12] (Jaya)

ajñātaṁ dhr̥tarāṣṭrasya yatnēna mahatā tataḥ । sōdaraṁ pātayāmāsa gāndhārī duḥkhamūrcchitā ॥BORI: 1-107-11॥

Gandhari, overcome with grief, then induced a miscarriage with great effort, without Dhritarashtra’s knowledge. (BORI: 1-107-11)

[PV-KDV:01_019_13] (Jaya)

tatō jajñē māṁsapēśī lōhāṣṭhīlēva saṁhatā । dvivarṣasambhr̥tāṁ kukṣau tāmutsraṣṭuṁ pracakramē ॥BORI: 1-107-12॥

Then a compact mass of flesh, like an iron ball, emerged. She began to cast away what she had carried in her womb for two years. (BORI: 1-107-12)

[PV-KDV:01_019_14] (Jaya)

atha dvaipāyanō jñātvā tvaritaḥ samupāgamat । tāṁ sa māṁsamayīṁ pēśīṁ dadarśa japatāṁ varaḥ ॥BORI: 1-107-13॥

Then Dvaipayana, learning of this, came swiftly. That foremost of those who recite sacred texts saw the mass of flesh. (BORI: 1-107-13)

[PV-KDV:01_019_15] (Jaya)

vaiśampāyana uvāca॥

Vaiśampāyana said:

[PV-KDV:01_019_22] (Jaya)

sā sicyamānā aṣṭhīlā abhavacchatadhā tadā । aṅguṣṭhaparvamātrāṇāṁ garbhāṇāṁ pr̥thagēva tu ॥BORI: 1-107-19॥

As it was sprinkled, that hard lump then divided into a hundred parts; the embryos, each separate and the size of a thumb joint… (BORI: 1-107-19)

[PV-KDV:01_019_23] (Jaya)

ēkādhikaśataṁ pūrṇaṁ yathāyōgaṁ viśāṁ patē । māṁsapēśyāstadā rājankramaśaḥ kālaparyayāt ॥BORI: 1-107-20॥

In all, O lord of the people, a full hundred and one formed in due order from the lump of flesh as time passed. (BORI: 1-107-20)

[PV-KDV:01_019_24] (Jaya)

tatastāṁstēṣu kuṇḍēṣu garbhānavadadhē tadā । svanuguptēṣu dēśēṣu rakṣāṁ ca vyadadhāttataḥ ॥BORI: 1-107-21॥

He then placed those embryos in the jars, in well-protected places, and made arrangements for their protection. (BORI: 1-107-21)

[PV-KDV:01_019_25] (Jaya)

śaśāsa caiva bhagavānkālēnaitāvatā punaḥ । vighaṭṭanīyānyētāni kuṇḍānīti sma saubalīm ॥BORI: 1-107-22॥

The Lord further instructed Saubali, “Once this much time has passed, these jars are to be opened.” (BORI: 1-107-22)

[PV-KDV:01_019_26] (Jaya)

ityuktvā bhagavānvyāsastathā pratividhāya ca । jagāma tapasē dhīmānhimavantaṁ śilōccayam ॥BORI: 1-107-23॥

Having said this and made the necessary arrangements, the wise Lord Vyasa departed for the Himalayas, the mountain range, to practise austerities. (BORI: 1-107-23)

[PV-KDV:01_019_27] (Jaya)

jajñē kramēṇa caitēna tēṣāṁ duryōdhanō nr̥paḥ । janmatastu pramāṇēna jyēṣṭhō rājā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ॥BORI: 1-107-24॥

Duryodhana was born in this sequence; but judged by birth, King Yudhishthira was the eldest of them. (BORI: 1-107-24)

[PV-KDV:01_019_28] (Jaya)

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s dynastic anxiety emerges at Duryodhana’s birth.

jātamātrē sutē tasmindhr̥tarāṣṭrō’bravīdidam । samānīya bahūnviprānbhīṣmaṁ viduramēva ca ॥BORI: 1-107-25॥

As soon as that son was born, Dhritarashtra summoned many Brahmins, as well as Bhishma and Vidura, and said: (BORI: 1-107-25)

[PV-KDV:01_019_29] (Jaya)

yudhiṣṭhirō rājaputrō jyēṣṭhō naḥ kulavardhanaḥ । prāptaḥ svaguṇatō rājyaṁ na tasminvācyamasti naḥ ॥BORI: 1-107-26॥

Prince Yudhishthira, the eldest among us, perpetuates our line. He has attained the kingdom through his own merits, and we have nothing to say against him. (BORI: 1-107-26)

[PV-KDV:01_019_30] (Jaya)

ayaṁ tvanantarastasmādapi rājā bhaviṣyati । ētaddhi brūta mē satyaṁ yadatra bhavitā dhruvam ॥BORI: 1-107-27॥

But this one, next after him, will also become king. Tell me truthfully what is certain to happen in this matter. (BORI: 1-107-27)

[PV-KDV:01_019_31] (Jaya)

vākyasyaitasya nidhanē dikṣu sarvāsu bhārata । kravyādāḥ prāṇadanghōrāḥ śivāścāśivaśaṁsinaḥ ॥BORI: 1-107-28॥

As these words came to an end, O Bharata, terrible beasts of prey and jackals howled in every direction, portending evil. (BORI: 1-107-28)

[PV-KDV:01_019_32] (Jaya)

tataḥ putraśataṁ sarvaṁ dhr̥tarāṣṭrasya pārthiva । māsamātrēṇa sañjajñē kanyā caikā śatādhikā ॥BORI: 1-107-34॥

Then, O king, all one hundred sons of Dhritarashtra were born within the space of a month, as well as one daughter in addition to the hundred. (BORI: 1-107-34)

[PV-KDV:01_019_38] (Jaya)

gāndhāryāṁ kliśyamānāyāmudarēṇa vivardhatā । dhr̥tarāṣṭraṁ mahābāhuṁ vaiśyā paryacaratkila ॥BORI: 1-107-35॥

While Gandhari was suffering from her growing womb, a Vaishya woman attended upon the mighty-armed Dhritarashtra. (BORI: 1-107-35)

[PV-KDV:01_019_39] (Jaya)

tasminsaṁvatsarē rājandhr̥tarāṣṭrānmahāyaśāḥ । jajñē dhīmāṁstatastasyāṁ yuyutsuḥ karaṇō nr̥pa ॥BORI: 1-107-36॥

In that year, O king, the illustrious and wise Yuyutsu, a Karaṇa, was then born to Dhṛtarāṣṭra by that woman, O ruler. (BORI: 1-107-36)

[PV-KDV:01_019_40] (Jaya)

ēvaṁ putraśataṁ jajñē dhr̥tarāṣṭrasya dhīmataḥ । mahārathānāṁ vīrāṇāṁ kanyā caikātha duḥśalā ॥BORI: 1-107-37॥

Thus were born to the wise Dhritarashtra a hundred heroic sons, all great chariot-warriors, and one daughter, Duhshala. (BORI: 1-107-37)

[PV-KDV:01_019_41] (Jaya)

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s hundred sons are enumerated by name, followed by their sister Duḥśalā.

tē ca pañca śataṁ caiva kuruvaṁśavivardhanāḥ । sarvē vavr̥dhuralpēna kālēnāpsviva nīrajāḥ ॥BORI: 1-115-28॥

Those five, and the hundred as well—the perpetuators of the Kuru line—all grew in a short time, like lotuses in water. (BORI: 1-115-28)

[PV-KDV:01_019_72] (Jaya)

sarvēṣāmanurūpāśca kr̥tā dārā mahīpatē । dhr̥tarāṣṭrēṇa samayē samīkṣya vidhivattadā ॥BORI: 1-108-17॥

O king, Dhritarashtra duly considered the matter and then, at the proper time, arranged suitable wives for all of them. (BORI: 1-108-17)

[PV-KDV:01_019_74] (Jaya)

duḥśalāṁ samayē rājā sindhurājāya bhārata । jayadrathāya pradadau saubalānumatē tadā ॥BORI: 1-108-18॥

At the proper time, O Bharata, the king gave Duḥśalā in marriage to Jayadratha, king of Sindhu, with Saubala’s consent. (BORI: 1-108-18)

[PV-KDV:01_019_75] (Jaya)