Editing Vyasa (section)

===Continuing the Kuru Dynasty===
Shantanu and Satyavati had two sons, named [[Chitrāngada]] and [[Vichitravirya]]. Both of them died early without leaving an heir, but Vichitravirya had two wives – [[Ambika (Mahabharata)|Ambika]] and [[Ambalika]]. A widowed Satyavati initially asked her stepson, [[Bhishma]], to marry both the queens, but he refused, citing his vow of celibacy. Satyavati revealed her secret past and requested him to bring her firstborn to impregnate the widows under a tradition called [[Niyoga]].<ref name="Niyoga1" >{{cite book|last=Bhawalkar|first=Vanamala|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8v5OAQAAIAAJ&q=Satyavati+vyasa|title=Eminent women in the Mahābhārata|date=2002|publisher=Sharada|isbn=9788185616803|language=en}}</ref> 

Sage Vyasa was unkempt because of months of meditation in the forest. Hence upon seeing him, Ambika who was rather scared shut her eyes, resulting in their child, [[Dhritarashtra|Dhritarāshtra]], being born blind. The other queen, Ambalika, turned pale upon meeting Vyasa, which resulted in their child, [[Pandu]], being born pale. Alarmed, Satyavati requested that Vyasa meet Ambika again and grant her another son. Ambika instead sent [[Characters in the Mahabharata#Ambika's maid|her maid]] to meet Vyasa. The duty-bound maid was calm and composed; she had a healthy child who was later named [[Vidura]].<ref name="Vyasa" />

When the children of Vichitravirya grew up, [[Bhishma]] got them married to different women. [[Dhritarashtra|Dhritarāshtra]] was married to [[Gandhari (Mahabharata)|Gāndhāri]], princess of Gandhara. [[Pandu]] married [[Kunti]] and [[Madri]]. Pāṇḍu left the kingdom, leaving Dhritarashtra as the acting king. Gāndhāri, during her adolescence, received a boon to have a hundred children but her pregnancy was taking a long period of time. After two years of pregnancy, Gandhari aborted her developing fetus, giving birth to a hard mass that looked like an iron ball. Vyasa came to the kingdom and using his knowledge, he asked to divide the mass into one hundred and one pieces and put them into pots for incubation. After a year, 101 babies were born. Meanwhile, Pāṇḍu's wives, Kunti and Mādri, had three and two sons respectively.<ref name="Vyasa" />

After the death of Pandu, he consoled Kunti and the young Pandavas, providing them with counsel in their time of bereavement. Vyāsa, feeling sorrow for his mother's fate, asked her to leave the kingdom and come with him to live a peaceful life. Satyavati, along with her two daughters-in-law, went to the forest.<ref name="Vyasa" />