Shloka 94
अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायः (Anukramaṇikā Adhyāya) — Invocation, Narrator Frame, and Textual Scope
मातुर्नियोगाद् धर्मात्मा गाड़ेयस्य च धीमत: । क्षेत्रे विचित्रवीर्यस्य कृष्णद्वैधायन: पुरा,पहलेकी बात है--शक्तिशाली, धर्मात्मा श्रीकृष्णद्वैपायन (व्यास)-ने अपनी माता सत्यवती और परमज्ञानी गंगापुत्र भीष्मपितामहकी आज्ञासे विचित्रवीर्यकी पत्नी अम्बिका आदिके गर्भसे तीन अग्नियोंके समान तेजस्वी तीन कुरुवंशी पुत्र उत्पन्न किये, जिनके नाम हैं--धृतराष्ट्र, पाण्डु और विदुर
māturniyogād dharmātmā gāḍeyasya ca dhīmataḥ | kṣetre vicitravīryasya kṛṣṇadvaidhāyanaḥ purā ||
In former times, Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa—righteous in spirit—acted under the command of his mother (Satyavatī) and with the assent of the wise son of the Gaṅgā (Bhīṣma). For the continuation of Vicitravīrya’s line, he approached Vicitravīrya’s wives as the appointed begetter under niyoga, thereby bringing forth heirs for the Kuru dynasty—not from personal desire, but as a duty to preserve the royal lineage and uphold the order of dharma.
Educational Q&A
The verse frames niyoga as a dharma-driven act: personal impulses are subordinated to responsibility—preserving lineage and societal stability—when undertaken under legitimate authority and for a defined ethical purpose.
Vyāsa, described as dharmātmā, is said to have acted in earlier times under Satyavatī’s instruction and with Bhīṣma’s approval to secure heirs for Vicitravīrya’s line, setting the stage for the continuation of the Kuru dynasty.