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गान्धारीपुत्रोत्पत्ति (gAndhArIputrotpatti)

 
Mahabharata
English
[Gāndhārīputrotpatti(ḥ)]
(“birth of Gāndhārī's sons”). § 180 (Sambhavap.): One day Dvaipāyana, gratified with Gāndhārī's hospitality, granted her the boon that she should have 100 sons (cf. § 174). She had borne the burden in her womb for two years, when she heard that Kuntī had brought forth a son
she then struck her womb violently, and there came out a hard mass of flesh like an iron ball. When she was about to throw it away, Vyāsa appeared and caused her to put the ball of flesh, sprinkled with cool water and divided into 101 parts (each of the size of a thumb), into 101 pots filled with clarified butter, which were placed in a concealed spot. After having said that she should open the covers of the pots after two years, Vyāsa retired to Himavat in order to devote himself to asceticism. Duryodhana was younger than Yudhishṭhira, being born on the same day as Bhīma. As soon as Duryodhana was born he began to cry like an ass, and ill-portending omens appeared. Vidura, etc., in vain told Dhṛtarāshṭra to abandon him. Within a month the 100 sons of Dhṛtarāshṭra and one daughter were born. During the pregnancy of Gāndhārī, Dhṛtarāshṭra begot the Karaṇa Yuyutsu upon a maidservant of the Vaiśya class (I, 115).