Kunti

Kunti (Sanskrit: कुन्ती, IAST: Kuntī), also known as Pritha (Sanskrit: पृथा, IAST: Pṛthā), is a prominent character in the Mahabharata, an ancient Sanskrit epic poem. A princess of the Vrishni dynasty, she becomes the wife of Pandu, king of the Kuru Kingdom, and is chiefly known as the mother of the five Pandavas—having given birth to the three eldest, Yudhishthira, Bhima, and Arjuna—and raising their younger stepbrothers, Nakula and Sahadeva, as her own. Kunti is one of the few female figures in the epic whose early life is described in detail. Born to Shurasena, she is adopted by her childless uncle, Kuntibhoja, and during her adolescence, she receives a divine mantra from the sage Durvasa, which allows her to invoke any deity and bear a child by them. Out of curiosity, she uses the mantra to invoke the sun god Surya, resulting in the concealed birth of her first son, Karna. Due to the societal stigma surrounding childbirth outside of marriage, she abandons Karna shortly after his birth. Kunti plays a significant role in the Kuru dynasty. After marrying Pandu, who is cursed to die instantly if he engages in intercourse, Kunti uses her boon to bear Yudhishthira, Bhima, and Arjuna by invoking the gods Dharma, Vayu, and Indra, in accordance with Pandu’s request to have children through the practice of niyoga. She later shares the boon with her co-wife, Madri, who gives birth to Nakula and Sahadeva. Following Pandu’s death and Madri’s self-immolation, Kunti assumes responsibility for all five children and raises them in Hastinapura, the capital of the Kuru Kingdom. A misunderstanding on Kunti’s part results in the polyandrous marriage of Draupadi, the princess of Panchala, to all five Pandava brothers. Kunti then serves as the queen-mother of Indraprastha until the Pandavas are exiled. Prior to the Kurukshetra...