(Sambhava Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana said, 'Meanwhile, O Janamejaya, Dhritarashtra begat upon
Gandhari a hundred sons, and upon a Vaisya wife another besides those
hundred. And Pandu had, by his two wives Kunti and Madri, five sons who
were great charioteers and who were all begotten by the celestials for
the perpetuation of the Kuru line.'

"Janamejaya said, 'O best of Brahmanas, how did Gandhari bring forth
those hundred sons and in how many years? What were also the periods of
life allotted to each? How did Dhritarashtra also beget another son in a
Vaisya wife? How did Dhritarashtra behave towards his loving obedient,
and virtuous wife Gandhari? How were also begotten the five sons of
Pandu, those mighty charioteers, even though Pandu himself laboured under
the curse of the great Rishi (he slew)? Tell me all this in detail, for
my thirst for hearing everything relating to my own ancestor hath not
been slaked.'

"Vaisampayana said, 'One day Gandhari entertained with respectful
attention the great Dwaipayana who came to her abode, exhausted with
hunger and fatigue. Gratified with Gandhari's hospitality, the Rishi gave
her the boon she asked for, viz., that she should have a century of sons
each equal unto her lord in strength and accomplishments. Some time after
Gandhari conceived and she bore the burden in her womb for two long years
without being delivered. And she was greatly afflicted at this. It was
then that she heard that Kunti had brought forth a son whose splendour
was like unto the morning sun. Impatient of the period of gestation which
had prolonged so long, and deprived of reason by grief, she struck her
womb with great violence without the knowledge of her husband. And
thereupon came out of her womb, after two years' growth, a hard mass of
flesh like unto an iron ball. When she was about to throw it away,
Dwaipayana, learning everything by his spiritual powers, promptly came
there, and that first of ascetics beholding that ball of flesh, addressed
the daughter of Suvala thus, 'What hast thou done?' Gandhari, without
endeavouring to disguise her feelings, addressed the Rishi and said,
'Having heard that Kunti had brought forth a son like unto Surya in
splendour, I struck in grief at my womb. Thou hadst, O Rishi, granted me
the boon that I should have a hundred sons, but here is only a ball of
flesh for those hundred sons!' Vyasa then said, 'Daughter of Suvala, it
is even so. But my words can never be futile. I have not spoken an
untruth even in jest. I need not speak of other occasions. Let a hundred
pots full of clarified butter be brought instantly, and let them be
placed at a concealed spot. In the meantime, let cool water be sprinkled
over this ball of flesh.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'That ball of flesh then, sprinkled over with
water, became, in time, divided into a hundred and one parts, each about
the size of the thumb. These were then put into those pots full of
clarified butter that had been placed at a concealed spot and were
watched with care. The illustrious Vyasa then said unto the daughter of
Suvala that she should open the covers of the pots after full two years.
And having said this and made these arrangements, the wise Dwaipayana
went to the Himavat mountains for devoting himself to asceticism.

"Then in time, king Duryodhana was born from among those pieces of the
ball of flesh that had been deposited in those pots. According to the
order of birth, king Yudhishthira was the oldest. The news of
Duryodhana's birth was carried to Bhishma and the wise Vidura. The day
that the haughty Duryodhana was born was also the birth-day of Bhima of
mighty arms and great prowess.

"As soon as Duryodhana was born, he began to cry and bray like an ass.
And hearing that sound, the asses, vultures, jackals and crows uttered
their respective cries responsively. Violent winds began to blow, and
there were fires in various directions. Then king Dhritarashtra in great
fear, summoning Bhishma and Vidura and other well-wishers and all the
Kurus, and numberless Brahmanas, addressed them and said, 'The oldest of
those princes, Yudhishthira, is the perpetuator of our line. By virtue of
his birth he hath acquired the kingdom. We have nothing to say to this.
But shall this my son born after him become king? Tell me truly what is
lawful and right under these circumstances.' As soon as these words were
spoken, O Bharata, jackals and other carnivorous animals began to howl
ominously And marking those frightful omens all around, the assembled
Brahmanas and the wise Vidura replied, 'O king, O bull among men, when
these frightful omens are noticeable at the birth of thy eldest son, it
is evident that he shall be the exterminator of thy race. The prosperity
of all dependeth on his abandonment. Calamity there must be in keeping
him. O king, if thou abandonest him, there remain yet thy nine and ninety
sons. If thou desirest the good of thy race, abandon him, O Bharata! O
king, do good to the world and thy own race by casting off this one child
of thine. It hath been said that an individual should be cast off for the
sake of the family; that a family should be cast off for the sake of a
village; that a village may be abandoned for the sake of the whole
country; and that the earth itself may be abandoned for the sake of the
soul.' When Vidura and those Brahmanas had stated so, king Dhritarashtra
out of affection for his son had not the heart to follow that advice.
Then, O king, within a month, were born a full hundred sons unto
Dhritarashtra and a daughter also in excess of this hundred. And during
the time when Gandhari was in a state of advanced pregnancy, there was a
maid servant of the Vaisya class who used to attend on Dhritarashtra.
During that year, O king, was begotten upon her by the illustrious
Dhritarashtra a son endued with great intelligence who was afterwards
named Yuvutsu. And because he was begotten by a Kshatriya upon a Vaisya
woman, he came to be called Karna.

"Thus were born unto the wise Dhritarashtra a hundred sons who were all
heroes and mighty chariot-fighters, and a daughter over and above the
hundred, and another son Yuyutsu of great energy and prowess begotten
upon a Vaisya woman.'"