Following the conquests of King Pandu, in each of the four directions, and his retirement to the forest at a young age after being satiated with the feeling resulting from his conquest led by force; the Kingdom of Hastinapura, under the oversight of Bhishma, and interim direct leadership of the powerful and well-trained Dhritrashtra, was larger than it had ever been, and also felt more secure than it had ever felt.

The throne, however, had been voluntarily vacated by Pandu. Being sat on the throne, Dhritrashtra, felt this was right, for it was he who had been unjustly treated when despite being the eldest brother, owing to nothing but his blindness, he had been overlooked as the authorities in Bhishma and Vidura, had turned to his younger brother Pandu to become King.

At this stage, the circumstances surrounding Dhritrashtra the eldest of Kurus, may have been mere prospective grievances in the minds of some young adolescent siblings, none of which had progeny of their own, that they may be concerned about what they may obtain.

What would ensue in Hasinapura? Could there really be such carelessness just one generation after that of Chitrangada and Vichitravirya, that they could regurgitate albeit in a different form, the very succession challenges that the previous generation had just seen and been so damaged by? Succession challenges, for which indeed divine intervention from the literary incarnation of godhead, Vyasa was needed in order to brandish a resolution.

Could the current ruling generation in Bhishma, Vidura, Dhristrashtra & Pandu inadvertendly, and even unintentionally, tie themselves up in such a compromised situation? Surely they would consider these risks with seriousness.

And so King Janamejaya, who was somewhat familiar with the history of his Kuru line, but not with its intricacies, asked the wise Sage Vaisampayana:

'O best of Brahmanas, Vaisampayana, how did Gandhari bring forth those hundred sons, and in how many years?

What were also the periods of life allotted to each?

How did Dhritarashtra also beget another son in a Vaisya wife?

How did Dhritarashtra behave towards his loving, obedient, and virtuous wife Gandhari?

How too were begotten the five sons of Pandu, those mighty charioteers, even though Pandu himself laboured under the curse of the great Rishi he slew?

Tell me all this in detail, for my thirst for hearing everything relating to my own ancestor hath not been slaked.'

To which the Sage contemplated, and began to answer…

One day in Hastinapura, Gandhari, had attended with reverence and attention, to the great Sage Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, her father-in-law, who had arrived at the gates of Hastinapura in passing; exhausted with hunger and suffering from fatigue.

Gratified with Gandhari’s immediate concern and hospitality toward him, the Sage bestowed upon her the boon that she would ask. Gandhari asked that she should have a century of sons, each equal unto her lord Dhritrashtra, in both strength and accomplishment.

Some time after Gandhari conceived. She was greatly afflicted for she had bore the burden in her womb for two long years without having delivered.

It was when she conceived that she heard that her sister-in-law, Kunti who had previously been queen of Hastinapura prior to her, had brought forth even in the forests, a son, Yudhishtira, whose splendour was like unto the morning sun.

Gandhari had grown impatient of the period of gestation which had prolonged so long, and deprived of reason by grief, and whilst her husband was absent, with a clenched fist, she had struck her womb with great violence.

And thereupon came out of her womb, after two years' growth, a hard and cold mass of flesh, like unto an iron ball.

Gandhari whilst being petrified, was perhaps not so surprised given it had taken so long to be released, and she knew she had struck her womb in great violence too. She thought her cause to be meaningless. Her sadness was further compounded knowing her sister-in-law had delivered such a powerful boy.

Experiencing these feelings, Gandhari was about to throw the ball away, however she then heard at the doors, Dwaipayana Vyasa, who learning everything by his spiritual powers, promptly made his arrival known.

That first amongst the ascetics, beholding the ball of flesh, addressed the daughter of Suvala, seeking to understand Gandhari’s willingness to share the truth with him:

'What hast thou done O Gandhari?'

Gandhari, without endeavouring to disguise her feelings, addressed the illustrious Sage and said:

'Having heard that Kunti had brought forth a son like unto none other than Surya, the Sun in his splendour, I struck, in grief, my womb. Thou hadst, O Sage, granted me the boon that I should have a hundred sons, but here is only a ball of flesh for those hundred sons!'

Vyasa then said:

'O Daughter of Suvala, it is even so. But my words, still, can never be futile. I have not spoken an untruth even in jest. I need not speak of other occasions.

Let a hundred pots full of clarified butter be brought instantly, and let them be placed at a concealed spot. In the meantime, let cool water be sprinkled over this ball of flesh.'

That ball of flesh then sprinkled over with water, became in time, divided into a hundred and one parts, each about the size of a thumb.

These were then put into those pots full of clarified butter that had been placed at a concealed spot, and were watched by the royal nurses with care.

The illustrious Vyasa then said unto the daughter of Suvala that she should open the covers of the pots after full two years.

And having said this and made these arrangements, the wise Dwaipayana Vyasa, departed his mother Satyavati’s home of Hastinapura, for the Himavat mountains, devoting himself once again to asceticism in seclusion.

In time, 4 long years after Gandhari had become pregnant, 2 years of waiting for the embryo to leave her body, and 2 further years of waiting on the part of the advise of Vyasadeva; the first son of Gandhari was born, Duryodhana, from amongst those 100 pieces made from the ball of flesh that had been forcefully pushed out from his mother’s body, even that, prematurely, and had been deposited into pots.

The news of Duryodhana's birth was carried by messengers into chambers of Bhishma, as well as those of the wise and great Vidura.

According to the order of birth, it was Yudhishthira, of Kunti, who was the eldest of the generation proceeding from Dhritrashtra, Pandu & Vidura.

On the day that the haughty Duryodhana was born, it was on the same day that Bhima, of mighty arms and great prowess, was also born.

As soon as Duryodhana was born, he began to cry and bray like a donkey. And hearing that sound, the vultures, jackals and crows uttered their respective cries responsively.

Violent winds began to blow, and there were fires in various directions.

King Dhritarashtra on hearing such sounds from his eldest infant Duryodhana, and seeing such omens forming all around, in great fear, immediately summoned both Bhishma and Vidura, as well as other well-wishers.

Before long, all of the Kurus, and numberless Brahmanas had assembled.

Dhirtrashtra in a pensive state, addressed the huge assembly, but primarily Bhishma and Vidura, saying:

'The eldest of those princes, Yudhishthira, is clearly the perpetuator of our line, being the eldest, and son of my brother Pandu, who was previously King. By virtue of his birth, he hath acquired the kingdom. I, have nothing to say to this. But shall this, my son born after him, become king? Tell me truly what is lawful, and right under these circumstances.'

As soon as these words were spoken, jackals and other carnivorous animals began to howl ominously.

Marking so many frightful omens all around the Kingdom of Hastinapura, the wise Vidura replied to King Dhritrashtra:

'O king, O bull among men, when these frightful omens are noticeable at the birth of thy eldest son, it is so clear that he shall be the exterminator of thy race. The prosperity of all, dependeth on the abandonment of this child Duryodhana. Calamity there must be, in maintaining him.

O King, O my dear elder Brother if thou abandonest him, you remain with yet thy nine and ninety sons. If thou desirest the good of this, our race, abandon him, O Bharata! O king, do good to the world by casting off this one child of thine; for it hath been said that:

“An individual should be cast off for the sake of the family;

That a family should be cast off for the sake of a village;

That a village may be abandoned for the sake of the whole country; and

That the earth itself may be abandoned for the sake of the soul.'

After Vidura and those Brahmanas had stated so, unwaveringly and unequivocally regarding their recommendation to abandon Duryodhana, King Dhritarashtra ignoring these solicitations out of his natural paternal affection for his new-born son Duryodhana, meaning one who is difficult to conquer, had not the heart to follow the advice.

Then, O king, within a full month, unto Dhritarashtra and Gandhari, were born the remainder of the hundred sons, and also a daughter, in excess of this one hundred.

It was also later discovered that during the time when Gandhari was in a stage of advanced pregnancy, there was a maid servant of the Vaisya class who would attend on King Dhritarashtra.

During that year, was begotten upon her by the illustrious Dhritarashtra, a son endued with great intelligence, who would afterwards be named Yuyutsu, meaning one who is ever eager for battle.

And because he was begotten by a Kshatriya upon a Vaisya woman, he came to be called Karna, the term or name that was in times of yore, given to one begotten upon a Vaisya lady.

Thus were born unto the wise King Dhritarashtra, a century of sons who were all heroes and mighty chariot-fighters, as well as one other Yuyutsu of great energy and prowess begotten upon a Vaisya woman.

Thereafter was born a daughter to Dhritrashtra & Gandhari, over and above their hundred and one children.

Janamejaya after reflection asked Sage Vaisampayana:

'O sinless one, thou hast narrated to me from the beginning all about the birth of Dhritarashtra's hundred sons owing to the boon granted to Gandhari by Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa; but thou hast not told me as yet any particulars about the birth of the daughter. If the ball of flesh that was discharged from the body of the princess of Gandhara, was distributed by the great Sage into only one hundred parts, and if Gandhari did not conceive on any other occasion, how did it come to pass that the famous Kaurava daughter known as Duhsala was born. Tell me this, O Sage for my curiosity is great."

Vaisampayana in turn after his own reflection began to speak to the King as follows: “O great descendant of the Pandavas, thy question is just, and I shall now tell thee how it happened. The illustrious and great Sage Dwaipayana Vyasa 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 up 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 within herself:

'There is no doubt that I shall have a hundred sons, the Sage having said so. It can never be otherwise. But I should be very happy if a daughter were born of me over and above these hundred sons and junior to them all. My husband then may attain to those worlds that the possession of a daughter's sons conferreth. Also, the affection the 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 anything in charity, if I have ever performed the homa sacrifices, if I have ever gratified my superiors by respectful attentions, then as the fruit of those acts, please let a daughter be born unto me.'

All this while that illustrious and best of Sages, Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa 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 the hundred, intended for giving thee a daughter's son. This part shall develop into an amiable and fortunate daughter, as thou hast desired.'

Then that great ascetic brought another pot full of clarified butter, and put the part intended for a daughter into it.

And so this is how the one hundred and one sons, and single daughter of Dhsitrashtra, Gandhari, and the maid-servant, came to be, and survived; eternal time would tell what fates would await these, O King.