Mahabharata 1.115.2 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 115, Shloka 2

Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 115 — Mādri’s request; invocation of the Aśvins; birth and naming of the Pāṇḍavas

Devanagari script

पाण्डो: कुन्त्यां च माद्रयां च पुत्रा: पजच महारथा: । देवेभ्य: समपद्यन्त संतानाय कुलस्य वै

Transliteration

pāṇḍoḥ kuntyāṃ ca mādryāṃ ca putrāḥ pañca mahārathāḥ | devebhyaḥ samapadyanta santānāya kulasya vai ||

Translation

Вайшампаяна сказал: «От Панду, через Кунти и также Мадри, родились пятеро сыновей — великие воины колесниц. Они явились как доли богов, ради продолжения и охранения рода».

Word by Word

• पाण्डोः: of Pāṇḍu
• पाण्डोः: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डु
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• कुन्त्याम्: in/through Kuntī (womb of Kuntī)
• कुन्त्याम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुन्ती
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• माद्र्याम्: in/through Mādrī (womb of Mādrī)
• माद्र्याम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: माद्री
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• पुत्राः: sons
• पुत्राः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पञ्च: five
• पञ्च: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• महारथाः: great chariot-warriors
• महारथाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• देवेभ्यः: from the gods
• देवेभ्यः: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Plural

• समपद्यन्त: were born/appeared; came into being
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + पद्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), Third, Plural, Ātmanepada

• संतानाय: for the continuance/lineage
• संतानाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संतान
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• कुलस्य: of the family/dynasty
• कुलस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Pāṇḍu
• Kuntī
• Mādrī
• the five Pāṇḍava sons (collectively)
• the gods (devas)
• kula (dynasty/family line)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames the Pāṇḍavas’ birth as divinely purposed: extraordinary individuals arise not merely by human lineage but as instruments for preserving the continuity and rightful order of the dynasty, implying a providential dimension to dharma and succession.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana states that Pāṇḍu’s two queens, Kuntī and Mādrī, bore five heroic sons. Their birth is described as arising from the gods, emphasizing that the Pāṇḍavas are divinely endowed and destined to sustain the family line.