SECTION 116
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Janamejaya said, 'O sinless one, thou hast narrated to me
from the beginning all about the birth of Dhritarashtra's hundred sons owing to
the boon granted by the Rishi. But thou hast not told me as yet any particulars
about the birth of the daughter. Thou hast merely said that over and above the
hundred sons, there was another son named Yuyutsu begotten upon a Vaisya woman,
and a daughter. The great Rishi Vyasa of immeasurable energy said unto the
daughter of the king of Gandhara that she would become the mother of a hundred
sons. Illustrious one, how is that thou sayest Gandhari had a daughter over and
above her hundred sons? If the ball of flesh was distributed by the great Rishi
only into a hundred parts, and if Gandhari did not conceive on any other
occasion, how was then Duhsala born. Tell me this, O Rishi! my curiosity hath
been great."
"Vaisampayana said, 'O descendant of the Pandavas, thy
question is just, and I will tell thee how it happened. The illustrious and
great Rishi himself, by sprinkling water over that ball of flesh, began to
divide it into parts. And as it was being divided into parts, the nurse began to
take them up and put them one by one into those pots filled with clarified
butter. While this process was going on, the beautiful and chaste Gandhari of
rigid vows, realising the affection that one feeleth for a daughter, began to
think within herself, 'There is no doubt that I shall have a hundred sons, the
Muni having said so. It can never be otherwise. But I should be very happy if a
daughter were born of me over and above these hundred sons and junior to them
all. My husband then may attain to those worlds that the possession of a
daughter's sons conferreth. Then again, the affection the women feel for their sons-in-law
is great. If, therefore, I obtain a daughter over and above my hundred sons,
then, surrounded by sons and daughter’s sons, I may feel supremely blest. If I
have ever practised ascetic austerities, if I have ever given anything in
charity, if I have ever performed the homa (through Brahamanas), if I have ever
gratified my superiors by respectful attentions, then (as the fruit of those
acts) let a daughter be born unto me.' All this while that illustrious and best
of Rishis, Krishna-Dwaipayana himself was dividing the ball of flesh; and
counting a full hundred of the parts, he said unto the daughter of Subala,
'Here are thy hundred sons. I did not speak aught unto thee that was false.
Here, however, is one part in excess of the hundred, intended for giving thee a
daughter's son. This part shall develop into an amiable and fortunate daughter,
as thou hast desired' Then that great ascetic brought another pot full of
clarified butter, and put the part intended for a daughter into it.
"Thus have I, narrated unto thee all about the birth of Duhsala.
Tell me, what more I am now to narrate.'"
No comments:
Post a Comment