balika, then, when her time came, brought forth a son of pale
complexion. Blazing with beauty the child was endued with all auspicious
marks. Indeed, it was this child who afterwards became the father of
those mighty archers, the Pandavas.

"Some time after, when the oldest of Vichitravirya's widows again had her
monthly season, she was solicited by Satyavati to approach Vyasa once
again. Possessed of beauty like a daughter of a celestial, the princess
refused to do her mother-in-law's bidding, remembering the grim visage
and strong odour of the Rishi. She, however, sent unto him, a maid of
hers, endued with the beauty of an Apsara and decked with her own
ornaments. And when the Vyasa arrived, the maid rose up and saluted him.
And she waited upon him respectfully and took her seat near him when
asked. And, O king, the great Rishi of rigid vows, was well-pleased with
her, and when he rose to go away, he addressed her and said, 'Amiable
one, thou shalt no longer be a slave. Thy child also shall be greatly
fortunate and virtuous, and the foremost of all intelligent men on
earth!' And, O king, the son thus begotten upon her by Krishna-Dwaipayana
was afterwards known by the name of Vidura. He was thus the brother of
Dhritarashtra and the illustrious Pandu. And Vidura was free from desire
and passion and was conversant with the rules of government, and was the
god of justice born on earth under the curse of the illustrious Rishi
Mandavya. And Krishna-Dwaipayana, when he met his mother as before,
informed her as to how he had been deceived by the seniormost of the
princesses and how he had begotten a son upon a Sudra woman. And having
spoken thus unto his mother the Rishi disappeared from her sight.

"Thus were born, in the field of Vichitravirya, even of Dwaipayana those
sons of the splendour of celestial children, those propagators of the
Kuru race.'"

SECTION CVII

(Sambhava Parva continued)

"Janamejaya said, 'What did the god of justice do for which he was
cursed? And who was the Brahmana ascetic from whose curse the god had to
be born in the Sudra caste?'

"Vaisampayana said, 'There was a Brahmana known by the name of Mandavya.
He was conversant with all duties and was devoted to religion, truth and
asceticism. The great ascetic used to sit at the entrance of his
hermitage at the foot of a tree, with his arms upraised in the observance
of the vow of silence. And as he sat there for years together, one day
ther