Srimad Bhagavatam — Navama Skandha, Shloka 27
The Kuru Line, Bhīṣma and Vyāsa; Pāṇḍavas, Parīkṣit, and Future Kings
Chandravaṁśa Continuation
शापान्मैथुनरुद्धस्य पाण्डो: कुन्त्यां महारथा: । जाता धर्मानिलेन्द्रेभ्यो युधिष्ठिरमुखास्त्रय: ॥ २७ ॥ नकुल: सहदेवश्च माद्रयां नासत्यदस्रयो: । द्रौपद्यां पञ्च पञ्चभ्य: पुत्रास्ते पितरोऽभवन् ॥ २८ ॥
śāpān maithuna-ruddhasya pāṇḍoḥ kuntyāṁ mahā-rathāḥ jātā dharmānilendrebhyo yudhiṣṭhira-mukhās trayaḥ
Pāṇḍu was restrained from sexual life because of having been cursed by a sage, and therefore his three sons Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīma and Arjuna were begotten through the womb of his wife, Kuntī, by Dharmarāja, by the demigod controlling the wind, and by the demigod controlling the rain. Pāṇḍu’s second wife, Mādrī, gave birth to Nakula and Sahadeva, who were begotten by the two Aśvinī-kumāras. The five brothers, headed by Yudhiṣṭhira, begot five sons through the womb of Draupadī. These five sons were your uncles.
FAQs
This verse states that Pāṇḍu was restrained from conjugal life due to a curse, so Kuntī bore sons through Dharma, Vāyu, and Indra—resulting in Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīma, and Arjuna.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī narrates the royal genealogies and explains the divine parentage of Kuntī’s three sons.
Even when circumstances impose restrictions, one can remain aligned with dharma and seek higher guidance, trusting that righteous outcomes can arise through lawful and divinely sanctioned means.