When the time came to continue the Kuru dynasty, Satyavati, wise in her concern for the family’s future, summoned her son Vyasa, born of great austerity. She asked him to approach the widowed queens of Vicitravirya so that the royal line might endure. First, Vyasa entered the chamber of Ambika, the daughter of Kashi. His appearance was striking: his complexion dark, his matted hair tawny, his eyes blazing, and his beard brown. Upon seeing him, Ambika was seized with fear and closed her eyes, unable to gaze upon him. Though she united with Vyasa to fulfill her mother-in-law’s command, her heart trembled and she dared not look at him. After Vyasa departed, Satyavati came to her son and anxiously asked, “Will this princess bear a virtuous royal son?” Vyasa, endowed with knowledge beyond the senses and guided by destiny, replied, “He will possess the strength of ten thousand elephants, be learned, the foremost among royal sages, greatly fortunate, mighty, and wise. He will also have a hundred sons, this great-souled one. But because of his mother’s conduct, he will be born blind.” Hearing that her grandson would be blind, Satyavati was troubled and said, “A blind king is not suitable for the Kurus, O possessor of austerity. He should be the protector of the family line, the enhancer of the ancestors’ lineage. Grant me another son, to remove my sorrow. Therefore, beget another son, a king, on my younger daughter-in-law; she is endowed with beauty and youth. By my command, beget a son on her, superior in qualities, to be the second king of the Kuru line.” Vyasa agreed, saying, “So be it.” In due time, Ambika gave birth to that blind son, who would become Dhritarashtra. Again, Satyavati spoke with her other daughter-in-law, Ambalika, and summoned Vyasa as before. Satyavati instructed Ambalika, for the sake of the lineage, to unite with Vyasa. The virtuous Ambalika, troubled and anxious, sat upon the excellent bed, wondering who would approach her, and waited in restraint. Vyasa came to her as before, and Ambalika, upon seeing the sage, presented herself. But she was so frightened that her complexion turned pale as ash. Observing her pallor and fear, Vyasa said, “Because you have become pale upon seeing me in this form, your son will indeed be pale, and this shall be his name here.” Having spoken thus, Vyasa departed. Satyavati, seeing him leave, asked her son, “Will there be good fortune here?” Vyasa explained that the boy would be exceedingly valiant and renowned in all directions, but due to his mother’s reaction, his complexion would be pale. “He will have five sons, all great archers.” With these words, Vyasa respectfully greeted his mother and departed. Still desiring to secure the dynasty’s future, Satyavati requested yet another son. Vyasa agreed, and in due course, Ambalika gave birth to a son marked by pallor, shining as if with his own splendor. From him would be born five mighty-armed sons—the Pandavas. All the birth rites for both sons were performed properly and in due order, with Bhishma overseeing the ceremonies, assisted by learned Brahmins versed in the Vedas. When it became clear that Satyavati’s son by Ambika was blind, the queen summoned Vyasa once more and requested another child from Ambika, hoping for a virtuous son. Vyasa replied, “If she is steadfast, she will again bear a virtuous child. Her son will be learned in the essence of dharma and the meaning of the scriptures.” Satyavati again summoned Ambika at the proper season. However, Ambika, reflecting upon the sage’s formidable appearance and scent, was filled with fear and did not go herself. Instead, she adorned her maid with splendid ornaments, making her as beautiful as an apsara, and sent her in her place to Vyasa. The maid honored Vyasa with gifts of words, gestures, and touches, serving him with devotion. In secret, Vyasa was pleased with her and dwelled with her. Rising, he blessed her, saying, “You shall become a mother, and this noble child has entered your womb; he will be righteous in the world, foremost among all the wise.” Thus was born Vidura, son of Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa, the brother of Dhritarashtra and Pandu. By the curse of the great-souled Mandavya, Dharma himself was born as Vidura, knowing the essence of right and wrong, free from desire and anger. Vyasa reported all this to Satyavati: the delay, and the birth of a son from the maid. Having fulfilled his duty to dharma, Vyasa again met his mother, announced the conception, and then departed. Thus, from Dvaipayana Vyasa, in the field of Vicitravirya, were born these children—resembling the sons of the gods—who increased the glory of the Kuru lineage.