धृतराष्ट्रं च पाण्डुं च विदुरं चाप्यजीजनत् ॥२५॥
ká¹£etre 'prajasya vai bhrÄtur
mÄtrokto bÄdarÄyaṇaḥ
dhá¹›tarÄá¹£á¹raá¹ ca pÄṇá¸uá¹ ca
viduraá¹ cÄpy ajÄ«janat
ká¹£etre - in the wives and maidservant; aprajasya - of VicitravÄ«rya, who had no progeny; vai - indeed; bhrÄtuḥ - of the brother; mÄtrÄ uktaḥ - being ordered by the mother; bÄdarÄyaṇaḥ - VedavyÄsa; dhá¹›tarÄá¹£á¹ram - a son named Dhá¹›tarÄá¹£á¹ra; ca - and; pÄṇá¸um - a son named PÄṇá¸u; ca - also; viduram - a son named Vidura; ca - also; api - indeed; ajÄ«janat - begot.
BÄdarÄyaṇa, ÅšrÄ« VyÄsadeva, following the order of his mother, SatyavatÄ«, begot three sons, two by the womb of AmbikÄ and AmbÄlikÄ, the two wives of his brother VicitravÄ«rya, and the third by VicitravÄ«rya’s maidservant. These sons were Dhá¹›tarÄá¹£á¹ra, PÄṇá¸u and Vidura.
VicitravÄ«rya died of tuberculosis, and his wives, AmbikÄ and AmbÄlikÄ, had no issue. Therefore, after VicitravÄ«rya’s death, his mother, SatyavatÄ«, who was also the mother of VyÄsadeva, asked VyÄsadeva to beget children through the wives of VicitravÄ«rya. In those days, the brother of the husband could beget children through the womb of his sister-in-law. This was known as devareṇa sutotpatti. If the husband was somehow unable to beget children, his brother could do so through the womb of his sister-in-law. This devareṇa sutotpatti and the sacrifices of aÅ›vamedha and gomedha are forbidden in the Age of Kali.
aÅ›vamedhaá¹ gavÄlambhaá¹
sannyÄsaá¹ pala-paitá¹›kam
devareṇa sutotpattiá¹
kalau pañca vivarjayet
“In this Age of Kali, five acts are forbidden: the offering of a horse in sacrifice, the offering of a cow in sacrifice, the acceptance of the order of sannyÄsa, the offering of oblations of flesh to the forefathers, and a man’s begetting children in his brother’s wife.†(Brahma-vaivarta PurÄṇa).
