Shloka 63

आदि पर्व, अध्याय 96 — काश्यकन्याहरणं, शाल्वसमागमः, अम्बावचनं च

Kāśī princesses taken; encounter with Śālva; Ambā’s declaration

Devanagari script

माद्रयामश्चिभ्यां नकुलसहदेवावुत्पादितौ,माद्रीके गर्भसे अश्विनीकुमारोंने नकुल और सहदेवको उत्पन्न किया

Transliteration

mādryāṃ aśvibhyāṃ nakula-sahadevau utpāditau | mādrīke garbhase aśvinīkumārauṇa nakulaṃ ca sahadevaṃ ca utpannau |

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana sagte: Von Mādrī, durch die Zwillingsgötter Aśvin, wurden die Brüder Nakula und Sahadeva hervorgebracht. So empfing Mādrī durch göttliches Wirken und gebar Nakula und Sahadeva—wodurch die Linie der Pāṇḍavas vollendet wurde und sichtbar wird, wie Schicksal und Dharma sowohl durch menschliche Absicht als auch durch höhere Mächte wirken.

Word by Word

माद्र्याःof Madri

अश्विभ्याम्by the two Ashvins

नकुलःNakula

सहदेवःSahadeva

उत्पादितौwere produced/begotten

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

Mādrī

Aśvinīkumāra (the Aśvins)

Nakula

Sahadeva

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The passage highlights that rightful lineage and the unfolding of dharma can involve divine agency; human families in the epic are shaped by vows, boons, and higher powers, yet the resulting responsibilities remain ethical and worldly.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator states that Mādrī, by invoking the Aśvin twins, gives birth to Nakula and Sahadeva, establishing them as the younger Pāṇḍava brothers and completing the set of Pāṇḍu’s sons.