वैशंपायन उवाच
रूपसत्त्वगुणोपेता धर्मारामा महाव्रता ॥
दुहिता कुन्तिभोजस्य कृते पित्रा स्वयंवरे ॥
सिंहदंष्ट्रं गजस्कन्धम् ऋषभाक्षं महाबलम् ॥
भूमिपालसहस्राणां मध्ये पाण्डुम् अविन्दत ॥
स तया कुन्तिभोजस्य दुहित्रा कुरुनन्दनः ॥
युयुजे ऽमितसौभाग्यः पौलोम्या मघवान् इव ॥
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
rūpasattvaguṇopetā dharmārāmā mahāvratā ||
duhitā kuntibhojasya kṛte pitrā svayaṃvare ||
siṃhadaṃṣṭraṃ gajaskandham ṛṣabhākṣaṃ mahābalam ||
bhūmipālasahasrāṇāṃ madhye pāṇḍum avindata ||
sa tayā kuntibhojasya duhitrā kurunandanaḥ ||
yuyuje 'mitasaubhāgyaḥ paulomyā maghavān iva ||
Vaishampayana said: "Endowed with beauty, goodness and virtues, delighting in dharma, true to her great vow, the daughter of Kuntibhoja, at the svayamvara arranged by her father, chose Pandu among thousands of kings — a husband with the fangs of a lion, the shoulders of an elephant, the eyes of a bull, of great strength. And he, the joy of the Kurus, immeasurably fortunate, was united with that daughter of Kuntibhoja, as Indra with Shachi."
0ea4df681e92 · published Jul 12, 2026, 4:30:26 PM UTC
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Here Kunti herself chooses Pandu at the svayamvara. Her preference is telling: among thousands of kings, the maiden who "delights in dharma" chooses not the richest or the noblest, but the most worthy hero. This is the ideal of the svayamvara: the free choice of a virtuous maiden made by merit, not by gain. The comparison with Indra and Shachi is also telling: a royal union is likened to a heavenly one. So the scripture reveals the auspicious beginning of the marriage of Pandu and Kunti — from which, through the gods, the righteous Pandavas will be born.