KUNTI

As Swami Siddhinathananda points out: ‘Kunti has an individuality of her own. There are smiles and
inquisitiveness, joy and happiness in Kunti’s life. Dangers and calamities shadow it. Gratitude adorns it. She
loved her sons more than herself and was ever anxious for their well-being. Courage and initiative, harshness
and revenge, sadness and ambition, bitterness and doggedness add color to that life. Humility, service of the
elders, simplicity, serenity, and peace sustain that noble life.”
Also inspiring are the multiple events in Kunti’s life in which she ensured the survival of all her sons,
sometimes at any cost. Along her path she makes certain mistakes that give her a lifetime of grief, mistakes she
will also have to confront in later life. It is a tale of how a widow and a mother paves a golden path for her sons
in spite of the circumstances..
EARLY LIFE
Daughter of the great Yadava king Sura, Kunti or Pritha—is Krishna’s paternal aunt. She was adopted by
Kuntibhoja, a cousin of Sura who was childless. That she was devoted to the service of the gods and guests
while still a young girl is evidenced by the fact that even the irascible Durvasa was pleased with her service and
taught her a mantra that would enable her to have sons from any god that she wished to invoke.
Unfortunately, Kunti did not fully realize the implications of this boon, and overcome by curiosity she decided
to invoke Surya, the Sun god, with it. The mantra was, of course, potent and Surya appeared in person before
her and she was conceived by Surya. The problem emerged when Surya did not help Kunti care for the
newborn son, Karna. For fear of public disgrace, Kunti set the child afloat in a basket on a river, praying with
tears in her eyes as she did so.
MARRIAGE AND CHILDREN
Having chosen Pandu as her husband in a svayamvara ceremony, she thus became the queen of Hastinapur.
Later in a conquest to expand his empire, Pandu married Madri, a princess of Madra in order to secure their
vassalage. Kunti was initially upset by her husbands second marriage, but slowly reconciled with him and
treated Madri as her sister.
Kunti never had a child by Pandu. Her husband had received a curse from the sage Kimdama that forbade him
from touching his wives, the punishment being death. Deeply hurt by the turn of events, Pandu along with Kunti
and Madri, decided to retire into the forest and live the life of renunciation. Later, Pandu was worried about the
continuance of his lineage and wanted Kunti to have children through the process of niyoga. Kunti was averse
to this idea, but when Pandu was insistent she used the mantra obtained from Durvasa to have three children—
Yudhishthira from Dharma, Bhima from Vayu, and Arjuna from Indra. She also helped her co-wife Madri to have
a pair of twins through the Ashwini-kumaras.
Not long after this, Pandu failed to restrain himself in the presence of Madri and died from Kimdama’s curse.
Following the practice of the day, Madri gave up her life on her husband’s funeral pyre. Kunti too wanted to
follow the same course, but had to abstain from doing so on the advice of some rishis, as she was needed to
mother the five young Pandava princes.
Kunti returned to Hastinapura with her five children to live under the care of Bhishma and Dhritarashtra. The
following years were marked with a mixture of joys and sorrows for Kunti and the Pandavas. The joys of the
palace that the Pandava children enjoyed while growing up under the watchful eyes of Bhishma were soon
marred by the jealousy of the Kauravas. If they narrowly escaped a plot to have them burnt alive in a house of
lac and managed to enjoy the glories of the newly founded city of Indraprastha, with its magical court created
by Maya.
Role in Mahabharat
It was also Kunti who asked her sons to share Draupadi. It is said that when Arjun won Draupadi as his wife in
her swayamvar the pandavs went back to their hut and Bheem, against Yudhistir’s advise, pranked his mother
saying “Come and look mother what we have brought today”. The reply that came was, “Whatever it is my sons
share it among yourselves”. An embarrassed Yudhishtir went to clear things up but the damage was done. The
Pandavs not marrying ddraupadi would signify that they are defying their mother’s command, and so Draupadi
was married to all five brothers.
The Pandavs along with Draupadi and kunti managed to enjoy the glories of the newly founded city of
Indraprastha, with its magical court created by Maya. But soon Yudhishthira was lured into a game of dice with
Duryodhana and Shakuni who conspired to defeat him with cunning and deceit. The brothers were forced to
retire into the forest for twelve years and then live another year incognito.
But the most tragic event was the disrobing of Draupadi, an insult with angered Kunti. Neither Draupadi, nor
Kunti—who considered her daughter-in-law to be more dear than her own sons—could forget or forgive this
insult, and their hearts were always seeking requital. So, while addressing her children through Krishna, before
the actual outbreak of war, she told Arjuna to [‘tread that path that Draupadi points out to you. The loss of
kingdom did not grieve me; the defeat at dice did not grieve me. That the illustrious and beautiful princess of
Panchala was dragged into the assembly while dressed in a single cloth and made to bear bitter words grieved
me most. Alas, ever devoted to the kshatriya customs and endued with great beauty, the princess, while ill,
underwent that cruel treatment, and though possessing powerful protectors was then as helpless as though she
had none.’
When Krishna’s embassy to the Kaurava court proved futile and Vidura expressed great concern about the
inter-familial war, Kunti said to herself:
Fie on the wealth for the sake of which this great slaughter of kinsmen is about to take place. Indeed, in this
war, they that are friends will sustain defeat. What can be greater grief than this, that the Pandavas, the Chedis,
the Panchalas, and the Yadavas, assembled together, will fight the Bharatas? I see only demerits in war. On the
one hand, if we do not fight, poverty and humiliation will be ours. On the other hand, the extermination of
kinsmen is not victory. As I think of this my heart overflows with sorrow.]
Role in Mahabharat
Kunti reflected over the balance of forces and felt that Bhishma and Drona, the main generals of the Kauravas,
had no reason to hate the Pandavas. It was only Karna who was insistent on harming the Pandavas and was
advising Duryodhana accordingly. So she decided to approach Karna, reveal the truth about his parentage, and
dissuade him from siding with the Kauravas. If Karna were not to support him, Duryodhana was much less
likely to insist on war. Unfortunately, Kunti had not reckoned with the depth of Karna’s hatred towards the
Pandavas. Not only did he refuse her proposal, he told her in no uncertain terms that she was a mere self-
seeking woman, kevala ātma¬-hitaisinī, who had performed none of her motherly duties towards him. Of
course, as a concession to her sentiments, he promised to kill none of the Pandavas in battle except Arjuna.
DEATH
Kunti’s own cup of sorrow after the war of Kurukshetra was full. When Dhritarashtra and Gandhari decided to
take to vānaprastha, the third stage of life, in preparation for leaving this world, Kunti joined them. Her children
were dumbfounded at her decision. Yudhishthira said:
After goading us on for war with the story of Vidula, it is improper on your part to go away like this now. It was
after hearing your message from Krishna that I embarked on this destructive war and won the kingdom. After
advising us to stand by the duties of the kshatriyas, why are you now going away from them?
Bhima said: ‘Why this decision, Mother, when you ought to be enjoying the riches that your sons have acquired?
Why then did you make us ruin the land?’
Kunti unmoved by these pleas said:
It is true, son, that I egged you on to fight for your rights when you were roaming about with empty stomachs
and grief-laden hearts. You ask me, why? So that you, Yudhishthira, who are righteous and the rightful heir to
the throne may not wander about in the woods. So that Bhima, who is far-famed for his prowess, may not suffer
humiliation at the hands of his enemies. So that Arjuna, Indra’s son, may not drink the cup of misery. So that
your dear younger brothers Nakula and Sahadeva may not know the pinch of poverty and hunger. So that
Draupadi, this dear daughter of mine, may not fall prey again to vile molestation. My dear son, it was to rouse
you to your own glory that I pushed you into war through the words of Vidula. I encouraged you to fight in
order that the noble line of the great King Pandu may not come to an end with my sons. I do not crave for any
enjoyment earned by my sons. I intend reducing my body through penance and service to my elders. May your
mind ever remain steadfast in righteousness; may your mind be noble: Dharme te dhīyatām buddhir¬manas¬te
mahad¬astu ca.
In the Mahabharata we see Krishna, Bhishma, and Vidura calling Kunti prajñāvati, a woman of wisdom,
mahāprājña, endowed with great wisdom, and manasvinī, a reflective mind. Vyasa elaborates upon two great
qualities of Kunti, her patience and perseverance in every situation and her unique attitude of seva[2]. And as
though befitting this sacrificial nature of her life, her body was finally consumed in a forest fire as she was on
her way to the hermitage after a bath in the Ganga. Kunti met this fire as nobly as she did the other fires that
tried to singe her all too often in her checkered life.
Steadfastness in dharma—this is the keynote of Kunti’s life. Dharma or righteousness, tyāgaor renunciation,
ksamā or forgiveness, and sevā or service are four eternal ideals of civilization. And all these were manifest in
Kunti’s life