Mahabharata — Adi Parva, Shloka 44
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 115 — Mādri’s request; invocation of the Aśvins; birth and naming of the Pāṇḍavas
महारथानां वीराणां कन्या चैका शताधिका । युयुत्सुश्चन महातेजा वैश्यापुत्र: प्रतापवान्
mahārathānāṃ vīrāṇāṃ kanyā caikā śatādhikā | yuyutsuś ca mahātejā vaiśyāputraḥ pratāpavān ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Dhṛtarāṣṭra had a hundred heroic sons, all great chariot-warriors; and besides them there was also one daughter. Further, there was Yuyutsu—high-souled and mighty—born of a Vaiśya woman, renowned for his valor. The passage affirms that lineage and station alone do not determine worth: even outside the queen’s womb, a son of the king may bear acknowledged prowess and a distinct place in the moral and dynastic tale.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that personal merit and recognized prowess can exist beyond formal royal lineage: Yuyutsu, though born of a Vaiśya woman, is acknowledged as mahātejā and pratāpavān, reminding readers that worth is not confined to the queen’s offspring alone.
The narrator summarizes Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s progeny: a hundred warrior sons, one additional daughter, and Yuyutsu—his valorous son born from a Vaiśya woman—thereby completing an important genealogical note within the Kuru family history.
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