Shloka 4
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 115 — Mādri’s request; invocation of the Aśvins; birth and naming of the Pāṇḍavas
कथं चैक: स वैश्यायां धृतराष्ट्रसुतो&भवत् । कथं च सदृशीं भार्या गान्धारीं धर्मचारिणीम्
kathaṃ caikaḥ sa vaiśyāyāṃ dhṛtarāṣṭrasuto 'bhavat | kathaṃ ca sadṛśīṃ bhāryāṃ gāndhārīṃ dharmacāriṇīm ||
ชนเมชยะทูลถามว่า “บุตรเพียงหนึ่งของธฤตราษฏระนั้นบังเกิดจากสตรีวรรณะไวศยะได้อย่างไร และเขาได้กัณฑารี ผู้เหมาะสมและตั้งมั่นในธรรม มาเป็นชายาได้อย่างไร”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical-historical inquiry: noble lineage and rightful conduct are examined through questions about birth circumstances and the suitability of marriage, highlighting the Mahābhārata’s concern with dharma in family, succession, and social norms.
Janamejaya asks the narrator to explain two points: how a particular son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra was born from a Vaiśyā woman, and how Dhṛtarāṣṭra came to marry Gāndhārī, described as a fitting wife and a practitioner of dharma.