Śvetaketu’s mother, the wife of Uddalaka, was a woman of remarkable self-restraint, devoted to her husband, strong in her austerities, and adorned with virtuous conduct. When a certain brāhmaṇa took her away, Śvetaketu, her son, implored him with care and respect, “Release my mother, who is as a mother to you, O brāhmaṇa.” Śvetaketu begged repeatedly, but the brāhmaṇa replied gently, “Śvetaketu, I am old, my sight is weak, and I long for offspring. Your father’s debt has been paid by you, his son, O Kāśyapa, but I am not yet freed from that debt. I am old and without desire; who will give me a maiden for a wife now? Release your wife, who is fit for bearing children, O great ascetic. With just one son I will be satisfied, and then I will return your mother to you.” Hearing these words, Śvetaketu was filled with shame and restrained his anger. But as his son grew agitated, Uddalaka spoke to Śvetaketu, “Do not be angry, my son; this is the eternal law. In earlier times, women of all castes on earth were unrestrained. Just as cows are kept among their own kind, so too were women in families—they never acted carelessly. But when the proper season arrived, they did not abandon their husbands.” Yet Śvetaketu could not accept this law. He established a boundary between man and woman on earth, a rule that did not apply to other creatures. From that time onward, it is known that if a wife leaves her husband, it is considered a sin, as dreadful and joyless as the sin of killing an embryo. Even today, those free from desire and anger still follow this rule. In the northern regions, this ancient law is honored by great sages. If a man approaches a wife who is a maiden and devoted to chastity, this alone is a sin on earth. If a wife, assigned by her husband for the sake of offspring, does not act accordingly, she incurs a great fault; thus, this boundary was forcibly established in ancient times. By Śvetaketu, the righteous son of Uddalaka, and by Saudasa, this rule regarding begetting children was established. It is heard that Madayanti went to the sage Vasishtha and, from him, obtained a son named Ashmaka, wishing to please her husband. O lotus-eyed one, you know that your own birth was also like this. From Krishna-Dvaipayana too, for the increase of the Kuru lineage, this practice was followed. Therefore, you should act according to my righteous words, O blameless princess; at the proper season, the husband is the lord of the devoted wife. This is the law, say the knowers of dharma: it must not be transgressed; at other times, a woman may have independence. Thus, people speak of this ancient law: whether righteous or unrighteous, the wife should do as the husband commands. The knowers of the Veda declare that whatever the husband says should be done, especially when he desires a son but is unable to beget one himself. Just as I, O faultless one, long to see a son—one with red-tipped nails and lotus-leaf-like hands—for the sake of pleasing you, I raise my joined palms to my head; by my command, through the ascetic power of a Brahmin, you should produce sons endowed with virtues. For your sake, I would attain the destiny of those who have children. Thus addressed, Kunti, noble in form and devoted to her husband’s welfare, replied to Pandu, the conqueror of enemy cities. “O best of the Bharatas, it is a great injustice among women that a husband, once pleased, must be pleased again. Hear now, mighty-armed one, what will bring you joy. While still a girl in my father’s house, I was assigned to honor guests. There, I served a fierce and resolute Brahmin, Durvasa, whose intentions in dharma are hidden. I satisfied him with all my efforts, for he was steadfast in his vows. The venerable one then granted me a boon connected with a ritual, giving me a mantra and saying, ‘Whichever god you invoke with this mantra, whether with desire or without, will come under your control. By the grace of that deity, you will obtain a son.’ Thus I was told at that time by him in my father’s house. The Brahmin’s words are true, and now the time has come. With your permission, O king, I will invoke a god. The illustrious one gave me that knowledge; by that, when a god is invoked, he will grant a son equal to the gods and remove the sorrow you bear for being childless.” Later, the question arose: “You have already told of the sons of Dhritarashtra—a hundred by the sage’s favor—but the daughter was not mentioned. Yuyutsu, the son of a Vaishya woman, and one daughter, making more than a hundred; the daughter of the king of Gandhara, called ‘mother of a hundred sons,’ O sinless one. This was declared by the great sage Vyasa, of immeasurable energy; but now, O blessed one, you speak to me of a daughter—how is this? If the great sage made a hundred portions from the flesh-mass, and no more were to be born, how then could Saubali’s daughter be born?” Thus, the ancient laws and events regarding the begetting of children, the boundaries of dharma, and the origins of the Kuru lineage were revealed, as taught by the wise and preserved in the sacred tradition.