Vaishampayana said, ‘Pandu, the conqueror of enemy cities, thus addressed Kunti, the one with the beautiful hips. She loved to please her husband and said, “When I was a child in my father’s house, I was appointed to look after the guests. There I satisfied, with all attentiveness, a fearsome Brahmana rigid in his vows. He had his senses under control and was learned about the secret nuances of dharma. He is known as Durvasa. Pleased with my service, the illustrious one gave me a boon and taught me a mantra. Any god that I summon through this mantra will come to me and be subservient to me, whether he desires it or not. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! This is what he told me in my father’s house. O king! The words uttered by a Brahmana are never false and the time has come. If you permit, I can summon a god. O rajarshi! O lord! Through that mantra, we can have offspring. O supreme among those who know the truth! Which god shall I summon? Know that I am waiting for your command, so as to act.” Pandu replied, “O beautiful one! O one with the beautiful hips! You must act today itself, in the proper way. Summon Dharma, because he is the one who partakes of what is sacred. That which is not dharma is never united with that which is dharma. O one with the beautiful hips! The worlds will now think that what we have done is dharma. There is no doubt that one who is devoted to dharma will be born into the Kuru lineage. Since he will be given by Dharma, there will never be anything that is not dharma in his mind. O sweet-smiling one! Therefore, always set dharma before you and summon him. Worship Dharma through your offerings and rituals.” At these words of her husband, the most beautiful of woman agreed. With his permission, she circumambulated him.’
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Vaishampayana said, ‘O Janamejaya! Kunti summoned the undecaying Dharma for conception, after Gandhari had been with child for a year. The queen swiftly made offerings to Dharma and followed the rites that had earlier been given to her by Durvasa. Through his powers of yoga, Dharma assumed form and she united with him. Consequently, the one with the beautiful hips obtained a son who was the best of all living beings. This was a sacred tithi,297 widely worshipped. It was the eighth hour of the day and the sun was in the middle of the sky. It was the auspicious moment known as aindra, when the moon was in conjunction with Abhijit.298 When it was time, Kunti gave birth to a famous son. As soon as he was born, an invisible voice was heard. “There is no doubt that he will be supreme among those who uphold dharma. Pandu’s first-born son will be famous by the name of Yudhishthira. He will also be a famous king, renowned in the three worlds—endowed with fame, radiance and adherence to vows.” Having obtained this virtuous son, Pandu again said, “It is said that the best thing for Kshatriyas is strength. Therefore, ask for a son who has great strength.” Having been thus addressed by her husband, she invoked Vayu299 for a son. Through him, she obtained the mighty-armed Bhima, whose strength was terrifying. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! As soon as this immensely strong one was born, an invisible voice was heard. “This son will be the strongest among all those who are strong.” An extraordinary event occurred as soon as Vrikodara300 was born. Falling down from his mother’s lap, he shattered a mountain into fragments with his body. Kunti was asleep and suddenly awoke, frightened by a tiger and forgetting that Vrikodara was asleep in her lap. The son, whose body was as hard as vajra, fell on the mountain. As he fell, he shattered the mountain into a hundred pieces with his body. On witnessing the mountain break in this way, Pandu was astounded. O supreme among those of the Bharata lineage! O lord of the earth! Duryodhana was born on the very same day that Bhima was born.
‘When Vrikodara was born, Pandu again began to think. “How can I obtain a supreme son who will be the best in all the worlds? This world depends on destiny and on human action. But as decreed, destiny is only obtained over a period of time. We have heard that Indra is the king and the best of the gods. He has immeasurable strength and endeavour and he is valorous and unlimited in radiance. By pleasing him with austerities, I can obtain a son who is immensely strong. The son that he will give me will be the best. I shall therefore perform the greatest of austerities in mind, deeds and speech.” Thereupon, after consulting with maharshis, the immensely energetic Pandu of the Kuru lineage instructed Kunti to observe a sacred vow for one year. The mighty-armed himself stood on one leg for a year, performing severe austerities and immersed in supreme meditation. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Wishing to propitiate the god who is the lord of the thirty gods, the one with dharma in his heart worshipped the sun. Indra responded after a long time. “I will give you a son who will be famous in the three worlds. He will ensure the welfare of gods, Brahmanas and relatives. I will give you a son who will destroy all his enemies.” After the great-souled Vasava301 had spoken to the king of the Kuru lineage, the one with dharma in his heart spoke to Kunti, remembering the words of the king of the gods. “O one with the beautiful hips! O sweet-smiling one! Devoted to morality, great-souled, radiant as the sun, invincible, action-oriented, extremely wonderful to look at and endowed with Kshatriya energy—this is the son we will receive through the grace of the king of the gods. Summon him.” At these words, the famous one summoned Shakra.302
‘The lord of the gods arrived and Arjuna was born from him. As soon as the son was born, an invisible voice was heard in the sky, with a thundering and deep roar. “O Kunti! He will be like Kartavirya and Shibi in prowess, invincible like Indra. He will spread your fame everywhere. As Vishnu increased Aditi’s happiness, like Vishnu, Arjuna will increase your happiness. He will bring under his sway the countries of Madra, Kuru, Kekaya, Chedi, Kashi and Karusha and establish the prosperity of the Kurus. Through the valour of his arms, Havyavahana303 will be supremely satisfied with the fat of all beings in Khandava. With his brothers, this immensely strong warrior will vanquish all small chiefs and perform three sacrifices. O Kunti! In valour, he will be the equal of Vishnu and Jamadagni’s son Rama.304 He will be the greatest among those endowed with valour and he will be invincible. He will acquire all kinds of divine weapons. He will be a bull among men and he will regain the lost fortune.” When Kunti was in her delivery room, these were the wonderful words that were heard from the sky and Kunti heard them. The ascetics who lived on Shatashringa also heard these loud words and were supremely delighted. The devarshis, Indra and the other gods and the sound of drums being played raised an enormous clamour in the sky. Amidst this thunderous roar, the entire place was covered with a shower of flowers.
‘All the classes of gods assembled to pay their respects to Partha305—the offspring of Kadru and Vinata, the gandharvas, the apsaras, the lords of all beings and all the seven maharshis, Bharadvaja, Kashyapa, Goutama, Vishvamitra, Jamadagni, Vashishtha and the illustrious Atri, who arose when the sun was destroyed. Marichi, Angira, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Prajapati and all the gandharvas and apsaras also came. Wearing divine garlands and garments, adorned in every ornament, the apsaras danced and sang Bibhatsu’s306 praise. With the handsome Tumburu, the other gandharvas began to sing—Bhimasena, Ugrasena, Urnayu, Anagha, Gopati, Dhritarashtra, Suryavarcha, Yugapa, Trinapa, Karshni, Nandi, Chitraratha, Shalishira, Parjanya, Kali and Narada, the sixteenth one; and Sat, Brihat, Brihaka, the immensely famous Karala, Brahmachari, Bahuguna, the famous Suparna, Vishvavasu, Bhumanyu, Suchandra the tenth and the famous Haha and Huhu, whose songs are sweet. O bull among men! These were the divine gandharvas who sang. The apsaras were delighted and were adorned in every ornament. Those illustrious long-eyed ones danced—Anuna, Anavadya, Priyamukhya, Gunavara, Adrika, Shachi, Mishrakeshi, Alambusha, Marichi, Shuchika, Lakshana, Kshema, Devi, Rambha, Manorama, Asita, Subahu, Supriya, Suvapu, Pundarika, Sugandha, Suratha, Pramathini, Kamya and Sharadvati. All of them danced in groups. Menaka, Sahajanya, Parnika, Punjikasthala, Kratusthala, Ghritachi, Vishvachi, Purvachitti, the one who is famous as Umlocha and Pramlocha—these ten and Urvashi as the eleventh were long-eyed apsaras who sang. The adityas, radiant like the flames of fire, were assembled in the sky to increase the glory of the great Pandava—Dhata, Aryama, Mitra, Varuna, Amsha,
Bhaga, Indra, Vivasvat, Pusha, Tvashta, Parjanya and Vishnu. O lord of the earth. The illustrious rudras were there—Mrigavyadha, Sharva, the immensely famous Nirriti, Aja Ekapada, Ahirbudhnya, Pinaki the destroyer of enemies, Dahana, Ishvara, Kapali, Sthanu and the illustrious Bhaga. The Ashvins, the eight vasus, the immensely powerful maruts, the vishvadevas and the saddhyas were also assembled there. The serpents Karkotaka, Shesha and Vasuki, Kacchapa, Apakunda and the mighty serpent Takshaka were there, with great energy, great anger and great strength. Many other serpents also assembled there. There were also Vinata’s sons—Tarkshya, Arishtanemi, Garuda, Asitadhvaja, Aruna and Aruni. When they saw this great wonder, the supreme hermits were astounded. Their affection towards Pandu’s sons increased even more.
‘But the immensely famous Pandu was again greedy for more sons. He summoned the beautiful Kunti yet again. However, she said, “A fourth son has not been heard of, even in times of calamity. After that, a woman is called promiscuous. After the fifth, she is called a courtesan. You are learned in the ways of dharma. You are wise. Because of the desire for offspring, why are you transgressing the law and speaking as if you have lost your reason?”’
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Vaishampayana said, ‘After Kunti’s sons were born and Dhritarashtra’s sons, the daughter of the king of Madra privately spoke to Pandu. “O scorcher of enemies! I am not distressed, even though you find no qualities in me. O unblemished one! Though I am superior,307 I have always been regarded as inferior. O king! O descendant of the Kuru lineage! I have not grieved on learning that Gandhari has given birth to 100 sons. But I do have a great unhappiness. We are not equal in that neither of us has sons. However, it is my destiny that my husband has obtained sons through Kunti alone. If the princess Kunti can arrange it so that I too have sons, she will do me a favour and this will be for your welfare too. Since she is my co-wife, I find it awkward to speak to Kuntibhoja’s daughter. But if you are pleased with me, please ask her yourself.” Pandu replied, “O Madri! I have always thought about this matter in my own mind. But I hesitated to speak to you, because I didn’t know whether you would like it or not. Now that I know what you desire, I will act on it. I am certain that she will not refuse when I speak to her.” Thereupon, Pandu spoke to Kunti in private.
‘Pandu said, “O fortunate one! Please give me offspring for the lineage and the worlds. Do that which pleases me. Ensure that I, my ancestors and my successors always have funeral cakes. For the sake of giving me pleasure, you will have to perform a supreme act that brings welfare. Do this extremely difficult act for the sake of your fame. Even though Indra has obtained sovereignty, he still performs sacrifices, so that he can obtain fame. O beautiful one! There are Brahmanas who know the mantras and have obtained ascetic powers that are difficult to obtain. For the sake of fame, they too go to preceptors. All rajarshis and all Brahmanas who are blessed with the power of austerities perform the most difficult of deeds for the sake of fame. O unblemished one! Obtain supreme fame and save Madri with a boat. Bestow children on her.” Having been thus addressed, she spoke to Madri. “Think of some god once and through him you will certainly obtain a son who will be like him.” After thinking about this for some time, Madri thought about the two Ashvins in her mind. They came and she obtained twin sons—Nakula and Sahadeva. Their beauty was unmatched on earth.
‘When the twins were born, the invisible voice spoke again. “These beautiful, brave and righteous sons will have qualities that will surpass all men. They will be radiant in energy, handsome and prosperous.” O lord of the earth! The inhabitants of the Shatashringa mountains performed the rites of birth and affectionately named them. The eldest of Kunti’s sons was named Yudhishthira. The one in the middle was named Bhimasena. And the third one was named Arjuna. Affectionately, the Brahmanas named the first of Madri’s sons Nakula. And the one born later was named Sahadeva. These supreme ones of the Kuru lineage were born one year apart.
‘For Madri’s sake, Pandu once again spoke to Kunti in private. But Pritha replied, “O king! I gave her the secret to be used once. But she obtained two and I was deceived. I am worried that she will get the better of me.308 This is the evil way of women. Fool that I was, I did not know that by summoning two gods at one time, the fruits could also be doubled. Therefore, do not command me again. This is a boon that I ask from you.” Thus, five sons were born to Pandu through the gods. They were immensely powerful, performed great deeds and extended the Kuru lineage. They bore all the auspicious marks and were as handsome as the moon. They were as proud as lions, their gait was as powerful as lions and they were great archers. Their necks were like those of lions, they were the lords of men and they grew up with the valour of the gods. They grew up in the sacred Himalaya Mountains. On seeing them grow, the maharshis who were assembled there were astounded. These five, and the other hundred, extended the Kuru lineage. They grew up in a short while, like lotuses in a pond.’
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Vaishampayana said, ‘Pandu saw his five handsome sons grow up in that great forest on the mountain, protected by the strength of his arms. One day, it was the season of spring, when the forests are in full bloom and all beings are drunk and maddened. The king was roaming through the forest with his wives. Pandu saw the forest, with trees like palasha, tilaka, chuta,309champaka, paribhadraka and many other trees that were laden with flowers and fruit. The ponds were beautiful with many different kinds of lotuses.
‘On seeing this, his heart turned to thoughts of love. Like a god, he was wandering around happily. Madri followed him, clad in a beautiful and semi-transparent garment. On seeing her youth through that garment, desire stirred in him, like a dense forest fire. The king stared at the one with eyes like that of a blue lotus, like his own. He could not control his desire and desire overpowered him. In that private place, the king forcibly seized her. The queen struggled and resisted, to the best of her strength. But his heart was taken over by desire. He did not remember the curse. Following the dharma of intercourse, he forcibly entered Madri. Under the control of love, the descendant of the Kuru lineage acted so as to end his own life. He had no fear of the curse and penetrated his beloved forcibly. With desire in his heart, his intelligence was deluded by destiny itself. Since he was prey to his senses, his consciousness was destroyed. Pandu, the descendant of the Kuru lineage and supremely devoted to dharma, succumbed to the law of time when united with his wife.
‘Embracing the senseless king in her arms, the miserable Madri began to repeatedly and loudly lament. Kunti and the Pandavas, who were her sons and Madri’s sons, all came to the place where the king was lying. O king! Madri called out to Kunti. “Come here alone and leave the children there.” Hearing these words, she asked the children to stay away. Coming closer, she screamed, “I am dead.” On seeing both Pandu and Madri lying on the ground, Kunti’s body was overcome with grief and she lamented miserably. “This hero always protected me by controlling himself.310 You knew about the hermit’s curse. Why did you transgress it? O Madri! You should have protected this king. Instead, why did you tempt him in this lonely place? Knowing and thinking about the curse, he was always miserable. How did he find pleasure when he was alone with you? O daughter of Bahlika! You are more fortunate than I. You have seen the lord of the earth’s face when he was happy.” Madri replied, “It was I who got tempted. I tried to resist him repeatedly, but could not stay away. It was as if he was intent on making his destiny true.” Kunti said, “By law, I am the eldest of the two wives. The fruits of dharma accrue to me. O Madri! O beautiful one! Therefore, do not try to restrain me from what must be done. I will accompany my husband who has gone to the land of the dead. Arise and let him go. Take care of the children.” Madri replied, “I am still embracing my husband and have not let him escape. Nor has my desire yet been satisfied. O elder one! Please give me permission. The best of the Bharata lineage came to me for the sake of desire. With his desire unsatisfied, how can I let him go to Yama’s abode? O revered one! If I live, it is certain that I will no
t be able to treat your children and mine in the same way and that sin will touch me. O Kunti! But you will be able to bring up my children as your own. The king has gone to the land of the dead because of his desire for me. Therefore, my body should be burnt with the king’s body. O revered one! Do what is pleasurable to me and burn them together. Watch over the children and think kindly of me. I cannot think of anything else I need to say.” Having said this, the illustrious daughter of the king of Madra, wife by law to that bull among men, climbed onto the fire of that funeral pyre.’
Mahabharata Vol. 1 (Penguin Translated Texts) Page 33