Mahabharata — Adi Parva, Shloka 43
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 115 — Mādri’s request; invocation of the Aśvins; birth and naming of the Pāṇḍavas
जज्ञे धीमांस्ततस्तस्यां युयुत्सु: करणो नृप । एवं पुत्रशतं जज्ञे धृतराष्ट्रस्य धीमत:
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
jajñe dhīmāṁs tatas tasyāṁ yuyutsuḥ karaṇo nṛpa |
evaṁ putraśataṁ jajñe dhṛtarāṣṭrasya dhīmataḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Kemudian, wahai raja, daripada wanita itu lahirlah Yuyutsu yang bijaksana, yang juga dikenali sebagai Karaṇa. Demikianlah lahir seratus orang putera bagi Dhṛtarāṣṭra yang berakal budi. (Dalam rangkaian kisah sekelilingnya, kelahiran ini diletakkan seiring dengan seratus putera Kaurava dan kelahiran seorang puteri kemudian, menonjolkan pertemuan antara salasilah, darjat sosial, dan kebajikan peribadi—Yuyutsu, meski lahir daripada wanita Vaiśya, dikenang kerana memilih pihak dharma.)
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that dynastic power (a ‘hundred sons’) is not the sole measure of worth; the wider episode remembers Yuyutsu—born outside the queen’s womb and of a different varṇa—as a figure associated with choosing dharma, suggesting ethical agency can outweigh birth-status in moral evaluation.
Vaiśampāyana reports the birth of Yuyutsu (also called Karaṇa) and summarizes that Dhṛtarāṣṭra had a hundred sons. In the broader passage, this is coordinated with the account of Gāndhārī’s children (hundred sons and then a daughter) and the additional son Yuyutsu born from a Vaiśya woman serving in Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s household.
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