Kunti: Epic Characters of Mahabharatha

By Dr. M.K. Bharathiramanachar

Kunti, also known as Pritha, was Krishna's maternal aunt, Vasudeva's sister, Shuraraja's daughter but adopted and brought up by Kuntibhoja. As she served Durvasa well, she got a boon from him – if she invoked a God upon chanting a mantra, she could receive anything she wanted from the God. Karna was born before she was married as a result of her testing the boon. Unable to face society, she set the baby afloat in a box. She got married to Pandu who came under a curse due to which he couldn't father children. Kunti then made use of Durvasa's boon and got three children. She then initiated Madri into the mantra and she got two children. Together they were the Pandavas. After Pandu's death, she and the five children lived under Dhritarashtra's care in Hastinapur. She gave good values to her children and instilled courage into them. With a heavy heart she revealed to Karna who he really was and begged him to change over to the Pandavas' side. After the war was over, Dharmaraja came to know that Karna was actually his brother. He was furious with his mother for keeping this a secret and cursed the entire race of women. Kunti knew how Gandhari held the Pandavas responsible for the loss of all her children. Yet, she maintained her equanimity and made Gandhari and Dhritarastra forget their hatred for the Pandavas by serving them. Kunti retired to the forest and engaged herself in tapas. She thus came to be known for some great ideals though her treatment to Karna remains a big question mark.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bharatha Samskruthi Prakashana
• Release date: May 22, 2019
• ISBN: 9788194018582

Book preview

EPIC CHARACTERS OF MAHABHARATHA

Kunti

Written by

Dr. M.K. Bharathiramanachar

Translated by

Prof. G. S. Mudambadithaya

© Bharatha Samskruthi Prakashana, Bengaluru. All rights reserved.

Published by:

Bharatha Samskruthi Prakashana

C/o. Bharatha Darshana,

163, Manjunatha Road, 2nd Block,

Thyagarajanagar, Bangalure 560 028,

Ph: [phone], [phone]

bharathasamskruthi.com

e-Book

059v1.0.0

Date: 02 March, 2019

ISBN: 9788194018582

Created by: Sriranga Digital Software Technologies Private Limited

srirangadigital.com

FOREWORD

Sri Srirangasadgurave Namah

Sri Vedavyasa’s immortal work, the Mahabharata, is our national epic reflecting like a golden mirror, the internal and external forms of the character and culture prevailing in the land of Bharata from times immemorial. It is hailed as the fifth Veda as it portrays the battle between the demoniac and the divine forces ending in the triumph of the latter, and announces to the whole world the universal truths of life. At places it orders with the tone and tenor of a paramount monarch. At some other places it teaches through stories and episodes and examples like a bosom friend and in some other places it brings home truths in the manner of a sweetheart. It is therefore a Sruti and Smriti and an Itihasa and a Purana and a Kavya, all embodied in one single work. It is an inexhaustible sourcebook for various literary works in Samskrit and local languages. On account of its extraordinary size of 18 parvas and the weightiness of its contents, it is appropriatly called the Mahabharata. Regarding the exhaustive teaching of the fourfold goals of life recommended by the founders of our culture, it has been rightly announced about this book as follows:

Whatever is found here is found elsewhere and what is not found here is found nowhere else.

We bless the efforts of Bharatha Samskrithi Prakashana to acquaint young minds with the prime characters of the above extraordinary work through these little vibrant volumes. It has derived inspiration from the 32 volumes of the Kannada version of the Mahabharata published by Bharatha Darshana, a premier publishing house, solely dedicated for the cause of the Bharathiya culture. The language of these booklets is very simple and lucid, so as to enter the hearts of the young minds and lead them on to the reading of the original. We hope that the younger generation will be able to analyse and judge these characters in the right perspective, elevate themselves and become good citizens of our nation.

We come across a large number of elderly people also who do not have a correct knowledge of the characters of the great epic. We hope that these little life-sketches based on the original Mahabharata, will serve very useful to them as well.

We fervantly hope that Bharata Samskruthi Prakashana will bring out many such useful publications in the future

With Narayanasmaranas

Sri Sri Srirangapriya