SECTION CVI
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Soon after the monthly
season of the princess of Kosala had been over, Satyavati, purifying her
daughter-in-law with a bath, led her into the sleeping apartment. There seating
her upon a luxurious bed, she addressed her, saying, 'O Princess of Kosala, thy
husband hath an elder brother who shall this day enter thy womb as thy child.
Wait for him tonight without dropping off to sleep.' Hearing these words of her
mother-in-law, the amiable princess, as she lay on her bed, began to think of
Bhishma and the other elders of the Kuru race. Then the Rishi of truthful
speech, who had given his promise in respect of Amvika (the eldest of the
princesses) in the first instance, entered her chamber while the lamp was
burning. The princess, seeing his dark visage, his matted locks of copper hue,
blazing eyes, his grim beard, closed her eyes in fear. The Rishi, from desire
of accomplishing his mother's wishes, however knew her. But the latter, struck
with fear, opened not her eyes even once to look at him. And when Vyasa came
out, he was met by his mother, who asked him, 'Shall the princess have an
accomplished son?' Hearing her, he replied, 'The son of the princess she will
bring forth shall be equal in might unto ten thousand elephants. He will be an
illustrious royal sage, possessed of great learning and intelligence and
energy. The high-souled one shall have in his time a century of sons. But from
the fault of his mother he shall be blind 'At these words of her son, Satyavati
said, 'O thou of ascetic wealth, how can one that is blind become a monarch
worthy of the Kurus? How can one that is blind become the protector of his
relatives and family, and the glory of his father's race? It behoveth thee to
give another king unto the Kurus.' Saying, 'So be it,' Vyasa went away. And the
first princess of Kosala in due time brought forth a blind son.
"Soon after Satyavati, O chastiser of foes,
summoned Vyasa, after having secured the assent of her daughter-in-law. Vyasa
came according to his promise, and approached, as before, the second wife of
his brother. And Ambalika beholding the Rishi, became pale with fear And, O
Bharata, beholding her so afflicted and pale with fear, Vyasa addressed her and
said, 'Because thou hast been pale with fear at the sight of my grim visage,
therefore, thy child shall be pale in complexion. O thou of handsome face, the
name also thy child shall bear will be Pandu (the pale).' 'Saying this, the
illustrious and best of Rishis came out of her chamber. And as he came out, he
was met by his mother who asked him about the would-be-child. The Rishi told
her that the child would be of pale complexion and known by the name of Pandu.
Satyavati again begged of the Rishi another child, and the Rishi told her in
reply, 'So be it.' Ambalika, then, when her time came, brought forth a son of
pale complexion. Blazing with beauty the child was endued with all auspicious
marks. Indeed, it was this child who afterwards became the father of those
mighty archers, the Pandavas.
"Some time after, when the oldest of
Vichitravirya's widows again had her monthly season, she was solicited by
Satyavati to approach Vyasa once again. Possessed of beauty like a daughter of
a celestial, the princess refused to do her mother-in-law's bidding,
remembering the grim visage and strong odour of the Rishi. She, however, sent
unto him, a maid of hers, endued with the beauty of an Apsara and decked with
her own ornaments. And when the Vyasa arrived, the maid rose up and saluted
him. And she waited upon him respectfully and took her seat near him when
asked. And, O king, the great Rishi of rigid vows, was well-pleased with her,
and when he rose to go away, he addressed her and said, 'Amiable one, thou
shalt no longer be a slave. Thy child also shall be greatly fortunate and
virtuous, and the foremost of all intelligent men on earth!' And, O king, the
son thus begotten upon her by Krishna-Dwaipayana was afterwards known by the
name of Vidura. He was thus the brother of Dhritarashtra and the illustrious
Pandu. And Vidura was free from desire and passion and was conversant with the
rules of government, and was the god of justice born on earth under the curse
of the illustrious Rishi Mandavya.
And Krishna-Dwaipayana, when he met his mother as
before, informed her as to how he had been deceived by the seniormost of the
princesses and how he had begotten a son upon a Sudra woman. And having spoken
thus unto his mother the Rishi disappeared from her sight.
"Thus were born, in the field of
Vichitravirya, even of Dwaipayana those sons of the splendour of celestial
children, those propagators of the Kuru race.'"
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