Let a hundred pots full of clarified butter be
brought instantly, and let them be placed at a concealed spot. In the
meantime, let cool water be sprinkled over this ball of flesh.'
"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.
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