(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'After the birth of Kunti's sons and also of the
hundred sons of Dhritarashtra the daughter of the king of the Madras
privately addressed Pandu, saying, "O slayer of foes, I have no complaint
even if thou beest unpropitious to me. I have, O sinless one, also no
complaint that though by birth I am superior to Kunti yet I am inferior to
her in station. I do not grieve, O thou of Kuru's race, that Gandhari hath
obtained a hundred sons. This, however, is my great grief that while Kunti
and I are equal, I should be childless, while it should so chance that
thou shouldst have offspring by Kunti alone. If the daughter of Kuntibhoja
should so provide that I should have offspring, she would then be really
doing me a great favour and benefiting thee likewise. She being my rival,
I feel a delicacy in soliciting any favour of her. If thou beest, O king,
propitiously disposed to me, then ask her to grant my desire."
"'Hearing her, Pandu replied, "O Madri, I do revolve this matter often in
my own mind, but I have hitherto hesitated to tell thee anything, not
knowing how thou wouldst receive it. Now that I know what your wishes are,
I shall certainly strive after that end. I think that, asked by me, Kunti
will not refuse."'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'After this, Pandu addressed Kunti in private,
saying, "O Kunti, grant me some more offspring for the expansion of my
race and for the benefit of the world. O blessed one, provide thou that I
myself, my ancestors, and thine also, may always have the funeral cake
offered to us. O, do what is beneficial to me, and grant me and the world
what, indeed, is the best of benefits. O, do what, indeed, may be
difficult for thee, moved by the desire of achieving undying fame. Behold,
Indra, even though he hath obtained the sovereignty of the celestials,
doth yet, for fame alone, perform sacrifices. O handsome one, Brahmanas,
well-acquainted with the Vedas, and having achieved high ascetic merit, do
yet, for fame alone, approach their spiritual masters with reverence. So
also all royal sages and Brahmanas possessed of ascetic wealth have
achieved, for fame only, the most difficult of ascetic feat. Therefore, O
blameless one, rescue this Madri as by a raft (by granting her the means
of obtaining offspring), and achieve thou imperishable fame by making her
a mother of children."
"'Thus addressed by her lord, Kunti readily yielded, and said unto Madri,
"Think thou, without loss of time, of some celestial, and thou shall
certainly obtain from him a child like unto him." Reflecting for a few
moments. Madri thought of the twin Aswins, who coming unto her with speed
begat upon her two sons that were twins named Nakula and Sahadeva,
unrivalled on earth for personal beauty. And as soon as they were born, an
incorporeal voice said, "In energy and beauty these twins shall transcend
even the twin Aswins themselves." Indeed possessed of great energy and
beauty, they illumined the whole region.
"'O king, after all the children were born the Rishis dwelling on the
mountain of a hundred peaks uttering blessings on them and affectionately
performing the first rites of birth, bestowed appellations on them. The
eldest of Kunti's children was called Yudhishthira, the second Bhimasena,
and the third Arjuna, and of Madri's sons, the first-born of the twins was
called Nakula and the next Sahadeva. And those foremost sons born at an
interval of one year after one another, looked like an embodied period of
five years. And king Pandu, beholding his children of celestial beauty and
of super-abundant energy, great strength and prowess, and of largeness of
soul, rejoiced exceedingly. And the children became great favourites of
the Rishis, as also of their wives, dwelling on the mountain of a hundred
peaks.
"'Some time after, Pandu again requested Kunti on behalf of Madri.
Addressed, O king, by her lord in private, Kunti replied, "Having given
her the formula of invocation only once, she hath, O king, managed to
obtain two sons. Have I not been thus deceived by her, I fear, O king,
that she will soon surpass me in the number of her children. This, indeed,
is the way of all wicked women. Fool that I was, I did not know that by
invoking the twin gods I could obtain at one birth twin children. I
beseech thee, O king, do not command me any further. Let this be the boon
granted (by thee) to me."
"'Thus, O king, were born unto Pandu five sons who were begotten by
celestials and were endued with great strength, and who all lived to
achieve great fame and expand the Kuru race. Each bearing every auspicious
mark on his person, handsome like Soma, proud as the lion, well-skilled in
the use of the bow, and of leonine tread, breast, heart, eyes, neck and
prowess, those foremost of men, resembling the celestials themselves in
might, began to grow up. And beholding them and their virtues growing with
years, the great Rishis dwelling on that snowcapped sacred mountain were
filled with wonder. And the five Pandavas and the hundred sons of
Dhritarashtra--that propagator of the Kuru race--grew up rapidly like a
cluster of lotuses in a lake.'"