KUNTI DEVI

Kunti Devi was a model women in the history of mankind.  She stood for great ideals and practised it.  Boons and Curses are a part of the Mahabharata.  Once Kunthi served sage Durvasa with great devotion though she was very young.  Pleaed with her service,  Sage Durvasa blessed her with 5 divine manthras , on chanting each mantra, she would beget a child by the grace of the god of that mantra.  The sage taught  Kunti  the Mantras and said “Little child, if you chant these mantras and invite any of the gods they will grant you a child.. 

Kunti who acquired the power of mantras was very curious.  With her childhood curiosity   she chanted the mantra facing the Sun.  The Sun god appeared before her and placed a baby boy in her hands and disappeared.  It was a bright child with divine armour and two divine ear rings.  Kunti was very happy when she saw the child but was afraid because she was still a maiden.  She placed the baby in a box and  set the box sailed on the water of the river Ganga. The child was wearing armour and  earringson his birth , Later he became famous by the name Karna who suffered a lot  in his life though he wass the eldest among Pandavas..

In the course of time Kunti got married to prince Pandu.  One  day, the king went hunting and killed  a male deer which was spending time with a female deer. .  It was not an ordinary deer.  The deer cursed the king and said “If you touch your wife you will die”.  All were worried about the future.  Kunti remembered the divine mantras given by sage Durvasa.

Kunti thinking of Yama dharma chanted the mantra and got a child who became famous as Yudhishthira.  Then she again chanted the mantra thinking of Vayu Deva.  Thus Bheemasena was born.  Yet again she chanted the Mantra, thinking of Devendra and Arjuna was born.  King’s second wife Madri desired to have a son and Kunti initiated Madri into mantra and Madri was favoured with twins.  Nakula and Sahadeva were born.  Thus the Pandavas were born.

When the Pandavas grew up and went to Draupadi’s swayamwar and Arjuna won the task given by King Drupada and won Draupadi.  When they came back home, they told Kunti, that they have brought a specialAlms.  Kunti who was inside the house said “all of you share it equally amongst yourselves”.  She spoke these words unknowingly  and Draupadi became the wife of pancha pandavas.

As years rolled by and when the Kurukshetra war became inevitable, Kunti went to Karna and revealed the secret and said Karna was the eldest of the Pandavas and begged him to come to the side of the Pandavas.  Karna though he was happy to learn that he was a Kshatriya and not a sutaputra (low caste).  He refused to change his side and stood by Duryodana, his friend who helped him in his bad days.

During the Kurukshetra war, Kunti used to take Drutarashtra and Gandhari to the river Ganga everyday for performing Sandhya Vandana.  Kunti’s will power was amazing.  It was as strong as the Himalayas.  After the Kurukshetra war Yudhishthira became the king, Drutarashtra and Gandhari decided to leave to the forest.  Disagreeing everyone’s request Kunti accompanied them to serve them in the forest.

Kunti reached heaven when her body was consumed by wild fire.