. Wife of King पाण्डु and the mother of the पाण्डवस् , कुन्ती is a noble heroine in the महाभारत

Birth

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कुन्ती was the sister of श्री कृष्ण 's father वसुदेव . Her real name was पृथा . वसुदेव and पृथा were the children of King शूरसेन of the यादव dynasty. King कुन्तिभोज was the son of शूरसेन 's sister. He had no issues. शूरसेन had promised to give the daughter first born to him as the adopted daughter of कुन्तिभोज , and accordingly his first-born daughter पृथा was given to कुन्तिभोज , and कुन्ती was brought up in his palace. From that day onwards पृथा came to be known as कुन्ती . [mh-1-111-1 ] Mahābhārata • Ādi parva .

कुन्ती , माद्री and गान्धारी were born from aspects respectively of the three celestial women सिद्धि , कृति and मति . [mh-1-67-160 ] Mahābhārata • Ādi parva .

कुन्ती and the mantra

To treat ब्रह्मिन्स् who came to the court of कुन्तिभोज with worshipful offerings etc. was the duty of कुन्ती . Once sage दुर्वासस् visited कुन्तिभोज , and as he knew that the sage was easily annoyed कुन्ती was specially deputed for his service, and she served him to the utmost. One day, to test कुन्ती , he asked her to be ready with his food by the time he took his bath, and he took practically no time to return after bath and sit for meals. By that time कुन्ती had managed to cook his food, which she placed before him in a plate. The food was too hot and steaming, and the sage meaningfully looked at the back of कुन्ती . Realising the meaning of the look, कुन्ती turned her back to the sage for him to place the plate of food thereon. The sage placed it accordingly on her back and began eating. Though her back was really burning she showed no sign of it. Pleased at her behaviour the sage taught her a मन्त्र and blessed her to the following effect.

Repeating this mantra you invoke whichever Deva you like and thanks to his favour you will get children. (Kathāsaritsāgara, Lāvāṇakalambaka, Taraṅga 2 and Bhārata (Malayālam) Chapter 111) .

Kuntī tested the mantra

After the departure of दुर्वासस् from the palace, कुन्ती developed an irresistible desire to test the efficacy of the mantra. and one day she invoked Sun-god with the mantra. Thereupon सूर्य approached her in the guise of a brahmin youth. कुन्ती got alarmed. Owing to disinclination to become an unmarried mother कुन्ती could not make up her mind to welcome the brahmin youth. But, सूर्य deva argued that his coming could not be in vain, and कुन्ती had to yield. She requested सूर्य for a son adorned with helmet, ear-rings etc. [mh-3-207-17 ] Mahābhārata • Vana parva .

सूर्य assured कुन्ती that even though a child was born to her from him, that will not affect her virginity and departed. कुन्ती delivered a son in due course of time in secret. She locked up the child in a box and floated it in the यमुना . An old charioteer called अधिरथ picked up the child from the river and brought it up as though it were his own son. That boy grew up to become the famous कर्ण . [mh-1-112-1 ] Mahābhārata • Ādi parva .

कुन्ती 's wedding

In due course कुन्तिभोज celebrated कुन्ती 's स्वयंवर and she chose King पाण्डु of the lunar dynasty as her husband, and पाण्डु took her to हष्तिनापुर in all pomp and glory. [mh-1-112-1 ] Mahābhārata • Ādi parva .

कुन्ती 's wedded life

पाण्डु married another wife also called माद्री , and all the three of them led a very happy life. During one of those days पाण्डु went a hunting in the forest and arrowed to death sage किन्दम , who was making love with his wife in the forest, both of them having assumed the forms of deer. The sage cursed पाण्डु with death the moment he touched his wives, and grief-stricken at the curse he told his wives about it and decided to take to सन्न्यास . But, the wives told him that they would commit suicide in case he took to सन्न्यास . Ultimately पाण्डु went to शतशृङ्ग with his wives, and there he began the performance of penances.

After some time पाण्डु asked his wives to become mothers by some noble persons. But, कुन्ती and माद्री did not agree to it. Then कुन्ती told पाण्डु about the boon she had got from दुर्वासस् , and with his permission she bore three sons called धर्मपुत्र , भीम and अर्जुन respectively from the three देवस् , धर्म , वायु and इन्द्र . As it had been ordained that the fourth and fifth children would bring sorrows and pain to the parents कुन्ती satisfied herself with three children [mh-1-122-77 ] Mahābhārata • Ādi parva • [mh-1-122-78 ] Mahābhārata • Ādi parva .

But, as पाण्डु desired that माद्री also should have children by कुन्ति 's mantra she used the remaining mantra and two sons, नकुल and सहदेव from the अश्विनीदेवस् were born to her.

कुन्ती widowed

During a winter when the forest was fragrant with flowers, पाण्डु forgot all about the Sage's curse and indulged in sexual joys with माद्री , and immediately he expired. कुन्ती and माद्री competed with each other to end their life in the funeral pyre of their husband. But, as the sages and other relations insisted that one of them should live to bring up the children, माद्री alone ended her life, and कुन्ती returned to हस्तिनापुर with the five children. [mh-1-125-1 ] Mahābhārata • Ādi parva .

कुन्ती at हस्तिनापुर

At हस्तिनापुर differences cropped up between the पाण्डवस् and the कौरवस् . कुन्ती and the five पाण्डवस् removed themselves to the 'Lac palace' built at वारणावत . When the palace was gutted by fire कुन्ती and her sons escaped through a secret tunnel to the forest, and भीम carried the worn out कुन्ती on his shoulders. In the forest the राक्षस woman हिडिम्बी , requested कुन्ती to permit भीम to become her husband, and कुन्ती advised भीम to beget a child by हिडिम्बी , and thus was born घटोत्कच . At the city named एकचक्रा , व्यास consoled कुन्ती . There the brahmins complained to कुन्ती about the depredations of बकासुर . कुन्ती got बक killed by भीम and asked the brahmins to keep the matter secret. On the advice of a brahmin who came there accidentally कुन्ती and others visited the पाञ्चाल kingdom, and there अर्जुन , having defeated all the Kings present at पाञ्चाली 's स्वयंवर wedded her. The पाण्डवस् who returned with पाञ्चाली at dusk time were asked by कुन्ती to enjoy that day's भिक्षा (Alms received) together among themselves. Accordingly पाञ्चाली became the wife of all the five पाण्डवस् . विदुर , at the court of the पाञ्चाल King saluted कुन्ती and presented to her various varieties of gems. कुन्ती and विदुर talked about the painful incidents of the past, and विदुर escorted the पाण्डवस् back to हस्तिनापुर .

अर्जुन led a solitary life in the forest for one year, and then returned to हस्तिनापुर with सुभद्रा whom he had married meanwhile. कुन्ती received सुभद्रा heartily. In the game of dice with दुर्योधन , धर्मपुत्र was defeated, and the पाण्डवस् again started for their life in the forest. During this period कुन्ती lived in विदुर 's house. Meanwhile श्री कृष्ण one day visited कुन्ती , and she told कृष्ण about the fate of her sons with tears in her eyes. दुर्योधन refused to give half of the kingdom to the पाण्डवस् , who returned after twelve years' life in exile in the forest and one year's life incognito. श्री कृष्ण prompted the पाण्डवस् to war with the कौरवस् , and both the parties began preparations for war. [mh-1-135-1 ] Mahābhārata • Ādi parva (135-188) • [mh-2-1-1 ] Mahābhārata • Sabhā parva (1-81) • [mh-3-1-1 ] Mahābhārata • Vana parva (1-313) • [mh-5-1-1 ] Mahābhārata • Udyoga parva (1-137) (Ādi Parva, from Chapter 135 to Sabhā and Vana Parvans and Udyoga Parva) .

Kuntī before कर्ण

War clouds grew thick and fast, and कुन्ती at विदुर 's house got restless. Her heart trembled at the disasters of war as described by विदुर . She went alone to the banks of the गङ्गा where just then कर्ण was engaged in जप with his hands raised and face turned to the east. कुन्ती waited for some time after which they began to talk. With tears in her eyes कुन्ती told कर्ण that he was her son and implored him to return to the पाण्डव side to which कर्ण replied as follows: "Oh! noble lady, that is quite impossible. I have vowed to kill अर्जुन . I will not kill the other four पाण्डवस् . You shall always have five sons alive. If अर्जुन were to be no more I would be there for you in his stead."

कुन्ती shuddered at those terrible words of कर्ण , and thus did both of them part with each other. [mh-5-145-1 ] Mahābhārata • Udyoga parva (145-146) .

Last days of कुन्ती

The great war ended. Thousands of warriors on the कौरव side like the mighty कर्ण were no more. On the पाण्डव side also many were killed. Though the पाण्डवस् won the war their hearts no more enjoyed peace or happiness. कुन्ती suffered as though caught in a wild fire. She asked the पाण्डवस् to perform the obsequies for कर्ण also. When she let out the secret that कर्ण was her firstborn child धर्मपुत्र burst into tears. कुन्ती consoled सुभद्रा and उत्तरा who were lamenting over the death of अभिमन्यु . She requested श्री कृष्ण to cremate the dead son of उत्तरा .

Then कुन्ती went to गान्धारी , who stood there bathed in tears. Grief-stricken, धृतराष्ट्र and गान्धारी started for the forest. Holding गान्धारी 's hand in hers कुन्ती led the way. The पाण्डवस् prevented their mother from going, but she did not yield. She advised धर्मपुत्र to have a special eye on सहदेव , not to forget कर्ण 's name and not to show any displeasure towards भीम and पाञ्चाली . But, the पाण्डवस् wanted to follow their beloved mother into the forest. पाञ्चाली and सुभद्रा stationed themselves behind कुन्ती , who shed copious tears at the sight. धृतराष्ट्र and गान्धारी , who also felt deeply pained at the sight tried their best to dissuade कुन्ती from following them to the forest. But, कुन्ती consoled her sons and daughters-in-law by means of sympathetic words and followed धृतराष्ट्र and गान्धारी to the banks of the गङ्गा , where all of them lived together.

The पाण्डवस् felt acutely the absence of their mother at home. They went to the forest and paid their respects to कुन्ती on the banks of the गङ्गा . कुन्ती embraced सहदेव with tears in her eyes. Though युधिष्ठिर and सहदेव wanted to stay with कुन्ती in her service she did not allow that. कुन्ती , धृतराष्ट्र and गान्धारी performed penance in the forest near the गङ्गा , taking food only once in a month. The three of them died there in a wild fire. [mh-15-37-31 ] Mahābhārata • Āśramavāsika parva . Their relations inmersed their bones in the गङ्गा and performed the necessary obsequies. [mh-11-1-1 ] Mahābhārata • Strī parva • [mh-12-1-1 ] Mahābhārata • Śānti parva • [mh-15-1-1 ] Mahābhārata • Āśramavāsika parva • [mh-14-1-1 ] Mahābhārata • Āśvamedhika parva

कुन्ती in देवलोक

कुन्ती , माद्री and पाण्डु went to देवलोक . [mh-18-5-15 ] Mahābhārata • Svargārohaṇa parva .