and endued with great
strength!' Hearing these words of hers, Surya answered, 'O gentle maiden,
thy son shall be mighty-armed and decked with ear-rings and a celestial
coat of mail. And both his ear-rings and coat of mail will be made of
Amrita, and his coat will also be invulnerable.' Kunti then said, 'If the
excellent mail and ear-rings of the son thou wilt beget on me, be,
indeed, made of Amrita, then, O god, O worshipful deity, let thy purpose
be fulfilled! May he be powerful, strong, energetic, and handsome, even
like thee, and may he also be endued with virtue!' Surya then said, 'O
princess, O excellent damsel, these ear-rings had been given to me by
Aditi. O timid lady, I will bestow them, as also this excellent mail, on
thy son!' Kunti then said, 'Very well, O worshipful one! If my son, O
lord of light, become so, I will, as thou sayest, gratify thee!'"

Vaisampayana continued, "Hearing these words of hers Surya said, 'So be
it!' And that ranger of the skies, that enemy of Swarbhanu, with soul
absorbed in Yoga, entered into Kunti, and touched her on the navel. At
this, that damsel, on account of Surya's energy, became stupefied. And
that reverend lady then fell down on her bed, deprived of her senses.
Surya then addressed her, saying, 'I will now depart, O thou of graceful
hips! Thou shalt bring forth a son who will become the foremost of all
wielders of weapons. At the same time thou shalt remain a virgin.'"

Vaisampayana continued, "Then, O foremost of kings, as the highly
effulgent Surya was about to depart, that girl bashfully said unto him,
'So be it!' And it was thus that the daughter of king Kuntibhoja,
importuned by Surya, had after soliciting a son from him, fallen down
stupefied on that excellent bed, like a broken creeper. And it was thus
that deity of fierce rays, stupefying her, entered into her by virtue of
Yoga power, and placed his own self within her womb. The deity, however,
did not sully her by deflowering her in the flesh. And after Surya had
gone away, that girl regained her consciousness."

SECTION CCCVI

Vaisampayana said, "It was, O lord of earth, on the first day of the
lighted fortnight during the tenth month of the year that Pritha
conceived a son like the lord himself of the stars in the firmament. And
that damsel of excellent hips from fear of her friends, concealed her
conception, so that no one knew her condition. And as the damsel lived
entirely in the apartments assigned