The Mahabharata/Book 1: Adi Parva/Section 116

Section CXVI. ( Sambhava Parva continued. )

Janamejaya said, "O sinless one, thou hast narrated to me from the beginning all about the birth of Dhrita-rashtra's hundred sons owing to the boon granted by the Rishi. But thou hast not told me as yet any particulars about the birth of a daughter. Thou hast merely said that over and above the hundred sons, there was another son named Yuyutshu begotten upon a Vaisya woman, and a daughter. The great Rishi Vyasa of immeasurable energy had said unto the daughter of the king of Gandhara that she would become the mother of an hundred sons. Illustrious one; how is it that thou sayest, Gandhari had a daughter over and above her hundred sons? If the ball of flesh had been distributed by the great Rishi only into an hundred parts, and if Gandhari did not conceive on any other occasion, how then was Dushshalā born? Tell me this, O Rishi! My curiosity hath been great."

Vaisampayana said, "O thou descendant of the Pandavas, thy question is just, and I will tell you how it happened. The illustrious and great Rishi himself, by sprinkling water over that ball of flesh, began to divide it into parts. And as it was being divided into parts, the nurse began to take them ud and put them one by one into those pots filled with clarified butter. While this process was going on, the beautiful and chaste Gandhari of rigid vows realising the affection that one feeleth for a daughter began to think in her mind, 'There is no doubt that I shall have an hundred sons. The Muni hath said so. It can never be otherwise. But I should be very happy if a daughter were born unto me over and above these hundred sons and junior to them all. My husband then may attain to those worlds that the possession of daughter's sons conferreth. Then again, the affection that women feel for their sons-in-law is great. If therefore I obtain a daughter over and above my hundred sons, then, surrounded by sons and daughter's sons, I may feel supremely blest. If I have ever practised ascetic austerities, if I have ever given in charity, if I have ever performed the homa (through the instrumentality of Brahmanas), if I have ever gratified my superiors by respectful attentions, then (as the fruit of these acts) let a daughter be born unto me? All this while that illustrious and best of Rishis, Krishna-Dwaipayana himself was dividing the ball of flesh; and counting a full hundred of the "parts, he said unto the daughter of Suvala, 'Here are thy hundred sons. I did not speak aught unto thee that was false. 'Here however is one part in excess of hundred intended for giving thee a daughter's son. This part shall expand into an amiable and fortunate daughter, as thou hast desired.' Then that great ascetic bringing another pot full of clarified butter, put the part intended for a daughter into it.

"Thus have I, O Bharata, narrated unto thee all about the birth of Dush-shalā. Tell me, O sinless one, what more I am now to narrate."

Thus ends the hundred and sixteenth Section in the Sambhava of the Adi Parva.