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Mahābhārata The History of the Great India
<< 10 The birth of the children of Madrid >>
 |  | King Pandu was cursed to die if he were to ever approach his wives for sexual intercourse. At his request, therefore, his wife Kunti bore three sons through union with demigods. As the Mahabharata continues, the sage Vaisampayana tells of the birth of two sons to Madri, Pandu's other wife, and of the king's death. For the mighty king, who in the forest had mastered his senses as he had formerly conquered his enemies, fell prey to uncontrolled lust.
| | | Vaisampayana continued:
AFTER KUNTI and Gandhari gave birth to their children, the lovely Madri, daughter of the Madra king, approached her husband, Pandu, in a secluded place and spoke these words: I have no complaint against you, even if you have treated me unfairly. I have always taken the inferior role, though by right I was to be honored. Nor was I unhappy or jealous when I heard that Gandhari gave birth to a hundred sons. But allow me to tell you what makes me very, very unhappy. Although I am equal to these women, I have no children! It is our good fortune that Kunti has given you sons to preserve your family line. If she could possibly arrange for me to give you sons also, this would be the greatest blessing for me and good for you as well. Because of my natural rivalry with Kunti, I cannot bring myself to ask her, but if you are in any way pleased with me after all these years, you should personally convince her.
| | | Pandu said:
My dear Madri, you know that the desire for children is ever turning in my heart. [I wanted you to ask Kunti to share her boon with you, but] I dared not ask you to do this because I was not certain whether you would be pleased with the idea or not. But now that I know your feelings, I accept personal responsibility to do this for you. I'm sure that Kunti will carry out my instruction.
| | | Vaisampayana said:
Thereafter Pandu spoke to Kunti in a secluded place and told her, You must act to preserve my family and bring happiness to the world. You are a good woman, and now, out of your love for me, you must carry out a supreme act of goodness so that I and our forefathers never lose the holy Pinda*. For the sake of your good name and glory, perform this difficult task. Even after achieving sovereignty, Lord Indra performed sacrifices, seeking a good reputation. O lovely lady, the twice-born knowers of mantras yet undertake grueling austerities and wait upon their gurus for the sake of glory and a good name. Likewise all the saintly seers, brahmanas, and ascetics underwent difficult tasks, large and small, for the sake of true glory. O faultless woman, with the boat of your boon it is you who must take Madri across the river of her grief. Share the gift of progeny and attain to the highest glory.
| | | Thus addressed, Kunti at once spoke to Madri. You must think of a deity, one time, and he will undoubtedly bestow on you a child with qualities similar to his own.
| | | Hearing these words, Madri carefully considered the matter, until finally her mind settled on the twin Asvins, the handsome physicians of the heavenly planets. Kunti then faithfully chanted her powerful mantra, and the twin gods came at once and begot in Madri a set of twins.
| | | Madri's two sons, unequalled in their beauty, became known in this world as Nakula and Sahadeva. As with Pandu's other children, an invisible voice announced their glorious birth: These two boys will surpass all others in beauty, strength, and kindness. Indeed, they are blessed with extraordinary splendor, stamina, beauty, and wealth.
| | | As these noble Kuru princes were born to Pandu, one year after the another ** , the joyful brahmanas bestowed names. The eldest they called Yudhisthira; the middle son of Kunti, Bhima-sena; the third, Arjuna. The eldest twin of Madri they declared to be Nakula, and the younger Sahadeva. All five possessed great nobility, stamina, courage, strength, and daring. Seeing his sons as handsome as gods and very powerful, the monarch rejoiced, and the greatest happiness was his. The five Pandava boys were loved by all the sages who dwelled in Hundred Peaks, and by the sages' saintly wives.
| | | Then Pandu again spoke to Kunti, requesting that Madri be allowed to use the special mantra again. As they sat alone together, the chaste Prtha replied, I invoked the mantra only once on her behalf, and yet she obtained two children. Somehow I feel cheated by that. I fear that Madri will surpass me. I am sorry, but that is the nature of women. I was so foolish. I didn't know that by calling two gods it was possible to get two sons at once. Therefore, I should not be ordered by you to do this. Please give me that benediction.
| | | [Pandu agreed.] Thus all five god-given sons were born to King Pandu. Each of them possessed great strength, all would be glorified for their heroic deeds, and all would increase the prosperity and influence of the Kuru dynasty. Their bodies were marked with auspicious signs and were as agreeable to the sight as the placid moon. Proud as lions, these sons possessed deadly skills with the bow and arrow. They walked with the confident gait of lions, and their necks were as strong as a lion's. They were the natural leaders of society, and as they grew to maturity their heroic deeds revealed their godly origins. Growing up in the holy Himalaya range, the five constantly amazed the saints who resided there with them. In fact, both the five Pandavas and the hundred sons of Dhrtarastra grew quickly, like lotus flowers quickly rising up in clear waters.
| | | * Pinda is a religious offering made by sons and descendants to ensure that their fathers and forefathers do not fall from heaven.
| | | ** Except for the twins, who were born together.
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