Kunti’s is a story of nobility, fortitude, and sacrifice.

Through her all-too-apparent humanity peers a

human being who has a larger perspective on life, and who tries to realize those ideals on which
tradition placed a high value. 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 llife

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. The powerful mantra also ensured that she was conceived by Surya. Unlike
Parashara—who brought up his son Vyasa, born of Satyavati out of wedlock—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

Kunti chose Pandu as her husband in a svayamvara ceremony and she 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 he
would die on having intercourse with his wife because he had shot the sage with an arrow when he
was united with his wife in the guise of a deer. Deeply hurt by the turn of events, Pandu decided to
retire into the forest and live the life of renunciation. Kunti accompanied him and lived like an
austere celibate for several years. Later, Pandu was worried about the continuance of his lineage
and wanted Kunti to have children through the process of niyoga—by getting someone suitable to
help her bear a child. 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. Pandu wanted her to have more children, but Kunti would not consent,
considering this dishonourable.

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. This duty she carried out
right up to her ripe old aage.

ROLE IN MAHABHARAT
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.

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.

They had just managed to enjoy the glories of the newly founded city of Indraprastha, with its
magical court created by Maya, Yudhishthira was soon 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.

Kunti was never really blinded by rage or behaved in a thoughtless or unreasonable fashion. She
faced troubles bravely and she wanted her children to do the same. Not only is she firm in her
conviction about rights and justice, she is also possessed of great devotion.

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 demerit 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.]

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.

The Kurukshetra War is described as having resulted in the victory of dharma. But the price it
exacted was overwhelming. Even the Pandavas lost their army and their sons.

DEATH

Kunti’s own cup of sorrow was full though she tried bravely to see that family honor was upheld.
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 and Bhima asked their mother why did she take such a decision, and why did she make
them start the war. They also pleaded her to stay with them. But Kunti was unmoved by these pleas.
According to her, the pandavas were being deprived of their rights by the kauravas, and to avenge
draupadi thus she egged them to start the war. She also said that she had enjoyed enough riches left
by her departed husband and now she intended to do penance and serve the elders.

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. 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. 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.