एवं पाण्डोः सुताः पञ्च देवदत्ता महाबलाः ॥
संभूताः कीर्तिमन्तस् ते कुरुवंशविवर्धनाः ॥
शुभलक्षणसंपन्नाः सोमवत् प्रियदर्शनाः ॥
सिंहदर्पा महेष्वासाः सिंहविक्रान्तगामिनः ॥
सिंहग्रीवा मनुष्येन्द्रा ववृधुर् देवविक्रमाः ॥
विवर्धमानास् ते तत्र पुण्ये हैमवते गिरौ ॥
विस्मयं जनयाम् आसुर् महर्षीणां समेयुषाम् ॥
ते च पञ्च शतं चैव कुरुवंशविवर्धनाः ॥
सर्वे ववृधुर् अल्पेन कालेनाप्स्व् इव नीरजाः ॥
evaṃ pāṇḍoḥ sutāḥ pañca devadattā mahābalāḥ ||
saṃbhūtāḥ kīrtimantas te kuruvaṃśavivardhanāḥ ||
śubhalakṣaṇasaṃpannāḥ somavat priyadarśanāḥ ||
siṃhadarpā maheṣvāsāḥ siṃhavikrāntagāminaḥ ||
siṃhagrīvā manuṣyendrā vavṛdhur devavikramāḥ ||
vivardhamānās te tatra puṇye haimavate girau ||
vismayaṃ janayām āsur maharṣīṇāṃ sameyuṣām ||
te ca pañca śataṃ caiva kuruvaṃśavivardhanāḥ ||
sarve vavṛdhur alpena kālenāpsv iva nīrajāḥ ||
"Thus the five sons of Pandu, granted by the gods, mighty of strength, glorious, increasers of the Kuru line, were born -- endowed with auspicious marks, pleasing to behold like the moon, with the pride of a lion, great archers, walking with a lion's gait, with a lion's neck, lords among men -- and grew up with the valor of gods. Growing there on the sacred Himalayan mountain, they awakened wonder in the great sages who had gathered there. And those five, and the hundred -- increasers of the Kuru line -- all grew up in a short time, like lotuses in water."
da98bc857f67 · published Jul 12, 2026, 4:41:49 PM UTC
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Here the wondrous tale of the Pandavas' birth comes to its close, and their growth and beauty are shown. Telling are the lion-like traits -- pride, gait, and neck of a lion: these sons of gods are majestic and kingly by nature. Telling, too, is the comparison of their growth to lotuses in water: just as a lotus rises from the water swiftly and unsullied, so they too grow -- swiftly, beautifully, and without stain. Herein lies the blessedness of their nature: born of gods, raised on a sacred mountain among sages, they are surrounded by holiness from childhood. It is also telling that the scripture mentions "the five and the hundred" side by side: the two future warring camps still grow up together, not yet divided by enmity. Thus the account of the birth of the epic's principal heroes comes to a close -- and ahead lie their paths, diverging toward dharma and toward adharma.