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 ||
வைசம்பாயனர் கூறினார்—அரசே, அப்போது அந்த வைசியப் பெண்ணிடமிருந்து அறிவுடைய யுயுத்ஸு பிறந்தான்; அவன் ‘கரண’ என்றும் புகழப்பட்டான். இவ்வாறு அறிவுடைய திருதராஷ்டிரனுக்கு நூறு மகன்கள் பிறந்தனர். வைசியக் கர்ப்பத்தில் பிறந்தவனாயினும், தர்மப் பக்கத்தைத் தேர்ந்ததால் யுயுத்ஸு நினைவில் நிலைத்தான்.
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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