Shloka 2

Ādi-parva Adhyāya 116 — Pāṇḍu’s Transgression of the Curse and Mādrī’s Final Charge

Devanagari script

वैश्यापुत्रो युयुत्सुश्न कन्या चैका शताधिका । गान्धारराजदुहिता शतपुत्रेति चानघ,अनघ! इस समय आपने वैश्यापुत्र युयुत्सु तथा सौ पुत्रोंके अतिरिक्त एक कन्याकी भी चर्चा की है। अमिततेजस्वी महर्षि व्यासने गान्धारराजकुमारीको सौ पुत्र होनेका ही वरदान दिया था। भगवन्‌! फिर आप मुझसे यह कैसे कहते हैं कि एक कन्या भी हुई

Transliteration

Janamejaya uvāca |

vaiśyāputro yuyutsuś ca kanyā caikā śatādhikā |

gāndhārarāja-duhitā śataputrīti cānagha ||

Translation

Janamejaya dit : «Ô irréprochable, tu as mentionné Yuyutsu, fils d’une Vaiśyā, et tu as dit qu’il y eut aussi une fille en plus des cent. Pourtant le grand voyant Vyāsa, d’une splendeur sans mesure, avait accordé à la princesse de Gāndhāra la grâce d’avoir cent fils. Comment peux-tu donc dire qu’il y eut aussi une fille ?»

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'vaiśyāputraḥ', 'definition': 'son of a Vaiśyā woman

• here, Yuyutsu born to Dhṛtarāṣṭra through a Vaiśyā'}, {'term': 'Yuyutsuḥ', 'definition': 'name of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son by a Vaiśyā

• later known for choosing the Pāṇḍavas’ side'}, {'term': 'kanyā', 'definition': 'daughter

• unmarried girl'}, {'term': 'ekā', 'definition': 'one (feminine)'}, {'term': 'śatādhikā', 'definition': 'exceeding a hundred

• ‘one more than a hundred’ (i.e., 101st child)'}, {'term': 'gāndhārarāja-duhitā', 'definition': 'daughter of the king of Gāndhāra

• i.e., Gāndhārī'}, {'term': 'śataputrī', 'definition': 'mother of a hundred sons'}, {'term': 'anagha', 'definition': 'blameless, sinless

Speaker

जनमेजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Janamejaya
• Yuyutsu
• Gāndhārī
• King of Gāndhāra (Gāndhārarāja)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights careful attention to truth and consistency in sacred narration: when a boon or statement is cited (Gāndhārī as ‘mother of a hundred sons’), apparent contradictions (an additional daughter) must be examined and reconciled through precise understanding of terms and events.

What is happening in the narrative?

Janamejaya challenges the narrator’s account: if Gāndhārī was blessed to have a hundred sons, how can there also be mention of an additional daughter (making the count exceed one hundred)? He seeks clarification about the Kuru offspring, including Yuyutsu and the extra child beyond the hundred.