(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 Suvala, "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, O Bharata, narrated unto thee all about the birth of
Duhsala. Tell me, O sinless one, what more I am now to narrate.'"