Shloka 7
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 116 — Pāṇḍu’s Transgression of the Curse and Mādrī’s Final Charge
शीताभिरद्धिरासिच्य भागं भागमकल्पयत् । यो यथा कल्पितो भागस्तं तं धात्रया तथा नूप,वैशम्पायनजीने कहा--पाण्डवनन्दन! तुमने यह बहुत अच्छा प्रश्न पूछा है। मैं तुम्हें इसका उत्तर देता हूँ। महातपस्वी भगवान् व्यासने स्वयं ही उस मांसपिण्डको शीतल जलसे सींचकर उसके सौ भाग किये। राजन! उस समय जो भाग जैसा बना, उसे धायद्वारा वे एक-एक करके घीसे भरे हुए कुण्डोंमें डलवाते गये। इसी बीचमें पूर्ण दृढ़तासे सतीव्रतका पालन करनेवाली साध्वी एवं सुन्दरी गान्धारी कन्याके स्नेह-सम्बन्धका विचार करके मन- ही-मन सोचने लगी--इसमें संदेह नहीं कि इस मांसपिण्डसे मेरे सौ पुत्र उत्पन्न होंगे; क्योंकि व्यासमुनि कभी झूठ नहीं बोलते; परंतु मुझे अधिक संतोष तो तब होता, यदि एक पुत्री भी हो जाती
śītābhir adbhir āsiñcya bhāgaṃ bhāgam akalpayat | yo yathā kalpito bhāgas taṃ taṃ dhātrā tathā nṛpa ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Having sprinkled it with cool water, he arranged it portion by portion. O king, whatever portion took shape in whatever way, that very portion he then had the nurse place accordingly (into the prepared vessels).
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores orderly action aligned with intended outcomes: each portion is treated according to its formed nature, suggesting that results unfold through a mix of deliberate procedure and the way things ‘take shape’ (kalpita).
In the account of the Kauravas’ unusual birth, the mass is cooled with water and divided into portions; each portion, as it forms, is entrusted to a nurse to be placed appropriately into prepared containers for further development.