“Vaisampayana continued, ’That ball of flesh then, sprinkled over with water, became, in time, divided into a hundred and one parts, each about the size of the thumb.  These were then put into those pots full of clarified butter that had been placed at a concealed spot and were watched 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 went to the Himavat mountains for devoting himself to asceticism.

“Then in time, king Duryodhana was born from among those pieces of the ball of flesh that had been deposited in those pots.  According to the order of birth, king Yudhishthira was the oldest.  The news of Duryodhana’s birth was carried to Bhishma and the wise Vidura.  The day that the haughty Duryodhana was born was also the birth-day of Bhima of mighty arms and great prowess.

“As soon as Duryodhana was born, he began to cry and bray like an ass.  And hearing that sound, the asses, vultures, jackals and crows uttered their respective cries responsively.  Violent winds began to blow, and there were fires in various directions.  Then king Dhritarashtra in great fear, summoning Bhishma and Vidura and other well-wishers and all the Kurus, and numberless Brahmanas, addressed them and said, ’The oldest of those princes, Yudhishthira, is the perpetuator of our line.  By virtue of his birth he hath acquired the kingdom.  We 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, O Bharata, jackals and other carnivorous animals began to howl ominously And marking those frightful omens all around, the assembled Brahmanas and the wise Vidura replied, ’O king, O bull among men, when these frightful omens are noticeable at the birth of thy eldest son, it is evident that he shall be the exterminator of thy race.  The prosperity of all dependeth on his abandonment.  Calamity there must be in keeping him.  O king, if thou abandonest him, there remain yet thy nine and ninety sons.  If thou desirest the good of thy race, abandon him, O Bharata!  O king, do good to the world and thy own race by casting off this one child of thine.  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.’  When Vidura and those Brahmanas had stated so, king Dhritarashtra out of affection for his son had not the heart to follow that advice.  Then, O king, within a month, were born a full hundred sons unto Dhritarashtra and a daughter also in excess of this hundred.  And during the time when Gandhari was in a state of advanced pregnancy, there was a maid servant of the Vaisya class who used to attend on Dhritarashtra.  During that year, O king, was begotten upon her by the illustrious Dhritarashtra a son endued with great intelligence who was afterwards named Yuvutsu.  And because he was begotten by a Kshatriya upon a Vaisya woman, he came to be called Karna.